2 LEDE's

LEDE 1         

A food label is a panel of information found on a package of food, which contains a variety of information about the nutritional value of the food item.  There are many pieces of information, which are standard on most food labels such as serving size, number of calories, grams of fat, included nutrients, and a list of ingredients.  This information helps consumers who are trying to restrict their intake of sodium, sugar, fat, or other ingredients.  There are also individuals who are trying to get enough of healthy nutrients such as calcium or Vitamin C.  The label provides each item with its approximate percent daily value, which is generally based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

            The primary role of food labels is to inform consumers of the food’s nutritional values and ingredients, its manufacturer, health claims and possible allergens or some other potentially threatening food information.  All of this data helps people decide whether they will eat certain food, which is why food producers put a lot of effort into creating perfect labels for their products.  A successful food label will have an appealing food label design, effective messaging to consumers, and relevant information and appropriate phrasing. 

            My research question is, “Is food labeling effective in controlling one's calories intake?”  According to an article posted by Agri-Pulse, “Half of all adults read the nutrition facts label “always” or “most of the time,” according to the latest Health and Diet Survey from the Food and Drug Administration.  When asked whether they looked at the label when deciding whether to buy a food product, the specific breakdown was: Always (16 percent); most of the time (34 percent); sometimes (27 percent); rarely (12 percent), and never (10 percent).”  This is just one survey, but the main goal is for Americans to make wiser food choices to maintain good health and ultimately decrease the obesity rate.

LEDE 2

            The prevalence rate of obesity is 39.8% and has affected about 93.3 million US adults in 2015-2016 according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  Maybe if Americans read food labels and saw what they are consuming, the obesity rate can possibly decrease.  Americans need to understand how to read food labels and make healthier food choices.  This combination could be a first step in decreasing obesity.  It is not easy because unhealthy food tastes good for a reason… added salt and sugar.  Providing nutrition information on foods and menus is considered a relevant means to help guide consumers toward making healthier food choices, in part characterized by adequate energy intake to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

            Food labels represent the identity card of food products.  It reports composition, ingredients and their relative amounts, it informs about quality, origin, processing and preservation.  This information gives the consumer the opportunity to consciously choose what to purchase and eat.  The label could help us Americans in protecting and improving our health, if our choices are supported by basic knowledge of wholesome nutrition, and based on a balanced and varied diet.  This may translate into a reduction of obesity and chronic diseases related to negative eating habits.  Despite nutritional information being clear and comprehensive, consumers do not necessarily make the healthiest choice.  The decision making process is influenced by the ability to decode the label on the selected food item.  In order to induce the whole population to use food labels as an effective self-protection tool, more efforts should be done to improve their knowledge on nutrition fundamentals and basics about food labeling.  This would aid consumers to make safer and more precise choices as regards to their own health.

           

           

Works Cited:

Most people read nutrition facts label at least some of the time. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/6952-most-people-read-nutrition-facts-label-at-least-some-of-the-time

Overweight & Obesity. (2018, August 13). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html