Food Labelling Issues

Posted by: looklively

24th Feb 2016 02:21pm

There have been a few stories in the news recently questioning the way food brands are using the health star ratings found on their products. It would seem that some companies are being quite creative when it comes to their labelling. Are you aware of the government’s health star ratings scheme for food? If so, do you think it’s a good idea and should it be mandatory? Do you make purchase decisions based on how high or low a product’s health star rating is? Would you like to see ratings on more products and do you trust food companies to label their products correctly?

Ziah

23rd Jul 2016 01:30pm

I use the star rating all the time - as a flag telling me what NOT to buy! I prefer to do my own research and determine what is really healthy and unhealthy - and for me and my family, processed and packaged foods are things we enjoy only rarely as a treat, and even then, I carefully research them long before getting to the store so I know just which ones are acceptable to us (with gluten, dairy, soy, MSG and aspartame allergies/celiac disease etc). Even so-called health food companies lie on their labels - take Orgran, a supposedly respectable health food company. They hide MSG in their products by calling it "vegetable protein extract (corn)" and "vegetable derived monoglycerides", instead of calling it what it is - MSG - and giving consumers the information they require to make an informed decision. We are required to become researchers and sleuths to determine what is ok to eat and what is not. So no, I do not trust labels at all anymore, and I certainly do not trust the Star ratings one jot (especially when they can label a cereal like Nutri-Grain, which is something like 30% sugar, as healthy!) - and anyone who actually thinks the labels tell the truth and are there to properly inform and protect you is sorely mistaken :/

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