Thursday, October 1, 2009

Fortified foods: Too much of a good thing?

In this article, food experts discuss "nutrient-spiked foods," which some describe as "little more than dressed-up junk food."  For example, a kid's drink might be fortified with calcium, but have a high sugar content and a small percentage of real juice.

From the article: 
   Brian Wansink, a food marketing expert at Cornell University, sees another risk. Health benefits come from eating the entire food, not just a single nutrient inside it, he said.
   "People are sort of losing the point of why they're eating certain foods," Wansink said. With functional foods, "we end up eating it like it is medicine, so we end up eating too much of it."

Marion Nestle, NYU professor, says marketing tactics based on single nutrients delude people into thinking that their choices are healthy.

Recently an industry-backed food labeling program called "Smart Choices" came under fire when their criteria gave the green check mark to Froot Loops.


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