Question

At the grocery store, shoppers confront a large array of labels promoting whole grains, reduced fat, antioxidants, or vitamins. Some foods are said to be “Smart Choices,” while others are a “Sensible Solution”, creating confusion among consumers.

Various groups are now creating systems that are supposed to make sense of the nutritional value of foods, with numerical ratings, star ratings, or letter grades plastered on the shelf next to every product in a store, intended for a simple way to assess all the foods in our stores. The ratings systems under development all use government dietary guidance as a starting point. They consider various nutrients and give them scores to compute a single rating that is supposed to reflect the aggregate nutritional value of a food. For example, one rating system called the Overall Nutritional Quality Index, or ONQI for short, will evaluate all foods in a grocery store on a 1-to-100 scale, with 100 being the healthiest. Food manufacturers, grocery stores and the federal government have acknowledged that the profusion of labels on food packaging might confuse consumers.

Contribute to the discussion with your thoughts.

Here are some points to consider, and feel free to come up with your own ideas.

What is your opinion about such a rating system? Will it add to shopper confusion rather a help?
If you favor such a system, should just one become a national standard, if at all? Do you think that there should be one single rating issued by FDA rather than each company having its own guidelines?
Will you buy a product that has no “stars”?
Do you think even the previous outbreaks information should also effect the rating system of the food e.g. Salmonella Outbreak!

Answer 1

Yes, a lot of labels means a lot of confusion. In order to prevent the confusion and make it simple, there should only be one rating which is simple and understandable to even common people who do not know much about the science of nutrition. So I think a single rating system would be a benefit to the consumers.

Of course, there should be one single rating issued by the FDA rather than each company having its own guidelines as if the company issues the rating then again there will be confusion as criteria for a rating of the products will vary from company to company again causing confusion. But if the rating is issued from the FDA then there would only be single ratings which would provide simplicity and no confusion.

No stars rating if issued by FDA means that it has no quality or nutrient value so I would not like to buy it.

Of course, previous outbreaks information should also be the criteria for rating the food product as few components or conditions may be responsible for certain foodborne disease. So this information is crucial for determining the ratings of the food product.