Concerned citizens have even drafted a petition on change.org “Don’t Let Kellogg’s Buy Scientists: Froot Loops Aren’t a Healthy Breakfast” to encourage Smart Choices Board Members to remove their support for the Smart Choice Program.

See more about Froot Loops in the blog post on Watch Out for High Sugar and Poor Nutrient Content in Many Children’s Cereals. In the study released by Consumer Reports, Froot Loops ended up with a “fair” rating, with a low fiber amount and 12 grams of sugar. It does appear that Froot Loops has changed their formula lately, adding in more fiber to the popular sugar cereal for a total of 3 grams of fiber in a serving. You can read what Marion Nelson, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University has to say about this change of formula at the Huffington Post.

It will be interesting to see what happens and what the manufactures response will be to the public outcry about their program.

About Smart Spot

The Smart Spot program is a program created by PepsiCo’s to make it “easier for people to identify food and beverage choices that contribute to healthy lifestyles.” The Smart Spot logo appears on more than 250 products across all of PepsiCo’s brands including Tropicana®, Gatorade®, Baked! Lay’s®, Quaker® and Diet Pepsi®.

The Smart Choice Program was motivated by the need for a single, trusted and reliable front-of-pack nutrition labeling program that U.S. food manufacturers and retailers could voluntarily adopt to help guide consumers in making smarter food and beverage choices.

According to their website to qualify for the Smart Choices Program, a product must meet a comprehensive set of nutrition criteria based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other sources of nutrition science and authoritative dietary guidance.

The Smart Choices program was designed to replace the other health labels that have been seen on foods such as “Sensible Solution and “Smart Spot.”

Sources:

Neuman W. September 2009. For Your Health, Froot Loops. NY Times.

MacVean M. September 2009. ‘Smart Choices’ food label: a sign of nutrition or marketing? LA Times.

Hernandez L. October 2009. Parents Question New ‘Smart Choices’ Food Labeling System. The Denver Channel.

Nestle M. July 2009. ‘Better’ junk food about marketing, not health. SF Gate.

Image Source: Carolyn Coles. Fruit Loops Donut. Some rights Reserved.

In this case, unretouched photos of reality star Kim Kardashian were released by mistake, before the ‘official’ photoshopped version. According to Momlogic, “Women everywhere breathed a sigh of relief.”

You can see the before (left) and after (right) pictures below:

This is Ms. Karsashian’s response from her blog:

So what: I have a little cellulite. What curvy girl doesn’t!?

How many people do you think are photoshopped? It happens all the time!

I’m proud of my body and my curves and this picture coming out is probably helpful for everyone to see that just because I am on the cover of a magazine doesn’t mean I’m perfect.

She used the pictures as motivation to work out in the gym and get into better shape.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the unphotoshopped pic had been the one used on the cover of the magazine. Now that would have been sending a real message that being curvy and having cellulite is o.k.

Sources:

Breaking News! Kim Kardashian Has Cellulite! March 2009. Momlogic.com (See links to more before and after photoshopped images)
Karsashian K. 2009. Yes, I am complex! Kim Kardashian Official Site.
Park M. 2009. Kim Kardashian: ‘So What! I Have Cellulite!‘ People.com
Kim Kardashian Blogs About Complex Magazine Photoshop Fiasco “so What I Have Cellulite.” March 2009. The Insider.com

In May the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) sent a warning letter to General Mills, the manufacturers of Cheerios indicating that they had found “serious violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act” in that they believe based on the packaging that Cheerios was “is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease.”

According to the Warning Letter sent by the FDA to Cheerios they were accusing General Mills of marketing an “Unproved New Drug”

Based on claims made on your product’s label, we have determined that your Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease. Specifically, your Cheerios® product bears the following claims on its label:

• “you can Lower Your Cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks”
• “Did you know that in just 6 weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4 percent? Cheerios is … clinically proven to lower cholesterol. A clinical study showed that eating two 1 1/2 cup servings daily of Cheerios cereal reduced bad cholesterol when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.”

These claims indicate that Cheerios® is intended for use in lowering cholesterol, and therefore in preventing, mitigating, and treating the disease hypercholesterolemia.

Cheerios packaging has changed a lot over the years.  As seen in the photo above, the claims on the packaging are that Cheerios are “Clinically Proven to Help Reduce Cholesterol.” It looks with the latest boxes on the shelves that Cheerios has removed the claims of  lowering your cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks.

I think that the FDA was correct in pointing out that General Mills has crossed a line in it’s packaging and marketing of Cheerios, using language that is usually used when discussing drugs.

With that said, Cheerios has been a staple in our house since the girls were young, because it is one of the few cereals out there with low fat, low sugar, high fiber and healthy benefits from oats.

Sources:

FDA. May 5, 2009. General Mills, Inc. 5/5/09. Warning Letters.

FDA. May 14, 2009. Labeling of Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal Q’s & A’s Regarding FDA’s Warning Letter. Resources for You > Consumers.

Federal health regulators reprimanded Coca-Cola for placing inappropriate nutritional claims on its Diet Coke Plus soft drink. The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to the company, objecting to the product’s labeling, which describes the drink as “Diet Coke with Vitamins and Minerals.”

The FDA has pointed out that the Diet Coke Plus is misbranded. Federal regulators said the beverage does not have enough nutrients to justify the use of the word “plus” in its name.

According to the regulations, foods labeled “plus” must have at least 10 percent more nutrients than comparable products.

Additionally, the FDA said it is inappropriate to add extra nutrients to “snack foods such as carbonated beverages.”

Source:

Perrone. M. December 23, 2008. FDA warns Coca-Cola over nutritional claims. Associated Press.

In both cases, the aspirin has been combined with a dietary supplement into a single pill.

Aspirin is often recommended by doctors to treat general aches and pains and in small doses (baby aspirin) as a blood thinner for patients with heart disease.

The two products in question:

• Bayer Aspirin with Heart Advantage (Bayer Heart Advantage)–aspirin combined with phytosterols (a plant-based supplement also known as plant sterols)
• Bayer Women’s Low Dose Aspirin + Calcium (Bayer Women’s)–aspirin combined with calcium

These product formulations are not approved by FDA. The FDA has issued a warning letter to the Bayer Corporation.

Why the Warning?

Bayer has been marketing these products as pain relievers and as treatments for heart disease and osteoporosis. They claim that Bayer Heart Advantage helps in “reducing the risks of heart disease.”

The labeling for Bayer Women’s also claims that the product helps “fight” osteoporosis.

Treatments for heart disease and osteoporosis must be reviewed by government scientists and cannot be sold over the counter.

In addition the FDA has determined that these products have inadequate and misleading directions and warnings. Both products lack adequate directions and warnings for their safe use by consumers.

According to ABC News these results were discovered by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has been investigating drug advertising and the FDA’s oversight of pharmaceutical manufacturers for over a year.

Sources:

October 28, 2009. FDA Warns Bayer Over Claims on 2 Aspirin Products: Federal Regulators Call Health Claims Unsubstantiated. ABC News.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. October 28, 2009. FDA Warns Bayer About Two Unapproved Aspirin Products. Consumer Updates.

Image Source: Esra Su. Aspirin. Royalty Free Use.

What is Airborne?

According to the Airborne Company’s website:

Airborne is a dietary supplement that was created by a school teacher. Airborne is a proprietary combination of 17 vitamins, minerals and herbs.

The key ingredients in Airborne have been shown to help support a healthy immune system as shown in scientific studies and medical journals.

Airborne was created by Victoria Knight-McDowell, a second-grade teacher who got tired of catching colds from her students.

She started selling the product in 1997, three after Congress voted to allow dietary supplement makers to claim their products have an effect on a body structure or function, such as the immune system. Claiming to cure or treat illnesses requires FDA approval.

No Tangible Evidence to Support the Claims

Lydia Parnes, director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection said that “There is no credible evidence that Airborne products . . . will reduce the severity or duration of colds, or provide any tangible benefit for people who are exposed to germs in crowded places.”

Consumers who bought Airborne products between 2001 and 2008 have until Sept. 15 to apply for a refund for as many as six purchases, the FTC said. Claims will be paid by Oct. 15, 2008.

The FTC action adds $6.5 million to a previous class action settlement in which Airborne agreed to pay $23.5 million in customer refunds and attorney fees.

When I looked for Airborne on Amazon, the ‘Immune Boosting’ formulas were listed as being currently unavailable, but they had a whole host of other options, including a formula for children.

The consumer advocacy group had threatened in December 2007 to sue Sara Lee because the company’s claims of “whole grain goodness” on Soft & Smooth have been misleading.

The bread is really made mainly from refined white flour, not whole grains.

Other Misleading Product Statements

The Center for Science in the Public Interest also points out that plenty of food companies try to give consumers the impression that their white-flour-based products are “made with whole grain” even if there is only a small amount. Kraft uses phrases like “good source of whole grain” or “excellent source of whole grain” on labels even if the product is mostly refined white flour.

CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner points out that

Companies that use the phrase ‘whole grain’ absolutely have the legal responsibility under state consumer protection laws to disclose exactly how much whole grain is there.

Yet another case of Caveat emptor or Let the Buyer Beware.

Source: Center for Science in the Public Interest. July 21, 2008. Sara Lee to Make Clear its “Made with Whole Grain White Bread” is 30 Percent Whole Grain. Press Release.

Watch this Dove Campaign for Real Beauty ad:

Evolution

No wonder our perception of beauty is so distorted.

This advertisement from Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty shows the transformation of an ‘ordinary’ model into what we see on the cover shot. Beyond just changes in makeup and hair, the video also shows the digital transformation that takes place.