Illustration 4.8, p What about supplements? 1994 Dietary Supp and 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 disease 3. Supps don’t have to list side effects/interactions 4. FDA doesn’t approve, test or regulate mnf/sale 5. 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. True 2. Can’t claim to prevent, cure, treat disease** True 3. Don’t have to list side effects/interaction. True 4. FDA doesn’t approve, test/regulate mnf/sale True 5. 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 rules Plants  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