Illustration 4.8, p. 4-10

What aboutsupplements?

1994 Dietary Suppand Health Education Act established loose rules for labeling

Supplement Smarts..agree or disagree?1. Supps must be labeled as such and show an ingredient list.2. Supps can’t claim to prevent, cure, treat disease3. Supps don’t have to list side effects/interactions4. FDA doesn’t approve, test or regulate mnf/sale5. FDA doesn’t test for safety, purity, quality or effectiveness prior to sale

Supplement Smarts..agree or disagree?1. Supps must be labeled as such and show an ingredient list. True2. Can’t claim to prevent, cure, treat disease** True3. Don’t have to list side effects/interaction. True4. FDA doesn’t approve, test/regulate mnf/sale True5. FDA doesn’t test for safety, purity, quality or effectiveness prior to sale. True

Purity Assurance Labels

USP and Consumer Lab (CL)

These guarantee content, but NOT safety or effectiveness.

Claims with disclaimers!

Metabolism booster

Memory enhancer

Fat burner

Remember! Claims ≠ government guarantee a product is healthy, safe or effective.

Buyer Be (extra) Aware!

What does this symbol mean?

a. The product is environmentally safe.

b. The product is GMO free.

c. The product is packaged with biodegradable materials.

d. The product has been irradiated.

e. The product is approved for vegetarians.

This food has been irradiated

Considered a food additive; adds nothing to food Effectively kills microbes Does not make food radioactive Approved for all land meat, fruit, veg, grains and eggs Labeled with special symbol and statement NOT required on immediate product using irradiated

ingredients (on milled wheat, not on a loaf of bread made from the wheat)

What does this symbol mean?

Labeling Organic Foods 100% organic = has only organically produced

ingredients ‘Organic’ = 95% ingredients organic ‘Made w/ organic ingredients’ >70%

USDA seal NOT allowed

Organic ≠ guarantee healthy!

Organic: (A few) USDA Qualifying rulesPlants

no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides x 3yrs. no sewer sludge used; cannot be irradiated no use of genetically modified (GMO) seeds/ingreds

Animals no factory farming conditions no antibiotics/hormones to prevent disease or

promote growth no irradiation fed 100% organically grown feed

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

GMO’s are created in a lab, not in a field DNA of 2 organisms (same or different species)

combined new organism ~60%+ of US processed food has GMO content GMO label NOT required on US foods Pros v. cons GMO unclear Want to avoid it? Buy 100% organic

Head’s Up When Buying Food! Be smart; pay attention Read facts panel and

ingredient list. Ignore claims Labeling ≠food safety! Eat more foods that need no

ingredient list and make no claims!

Health Claim Example:Low Fat

-FDA approved-in theory more reliable than S/F claims-evolving

Structure/Function Claim Fat Burner, Reduce Wrinkles, Improve Performance

-minimal regulation-not FDA tested/approved-disclaimer required