Friday, October 2, 2009

Are Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms A Healthy Choice? New Food Labels Say Yes.


Nutrition: Health is a relative issue with new Smart Choices food labels -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Shared via AddThis
Posted by at

12 comments:

  1. WallaceWritesOctober 6, 2009 at 4:42 PM

    Although Froot Loops and most other cereals are made from corn, Id have to disagree with the Food Labels and the new Smart Choice check. It might be an adverteisement campaign made by cereal companies such as Kellogs just just to boost sales of a product forgotten by the new generation. Though some cereals claim that they are good for you and even have scientific support of being healthy, most are not. Especially ones named with anything like marshmallows and other things that attract children's eyes. In these tough economic times it seems like companies are willing to do just about anything to boost sales, including gain "scientific" and "nutritious" backup.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Natalie DeutschOctober 6, 2009 at 9:07 PM

    How can a cereal that contains on average 48 grams of sugar per serving be considered healthy? It is not. Considering, that the 48 grams are only for one serving of let’s say ½ cup on average and the average bowl of cereal has at least 2 servings, that’s a lot of sugar in just one sitting. The fact that Smart Choices is putting green checks on these notoriously unhealthy foods, I believe is confusing consumers. As the article states, Smart Choices is putting its green checks on foods like coco puffs, Lunchables Chicken Dunks and Fruit Roll-Ups, as well as brown rice, chicken and vegetables. As far as I know, Coco puffs and brown rice do not have any of the same benefits, if coco puffs has any at all. “Sponsors say the icon will help an overweight and overwhelmed public make better food choices in a way that reflects how people really shop”. How can this be? Consumers are now being told that the foods they thought were bad for them are now suddenly acceptable to eat. Therefore, I believe that this will only lead to America’s growing obesity problem as more and more people will now look at foods such as Luck Charms, Coco Puffs and Lunchables and believe they are healthy choices. I felt this quote from the article was slightly funny. “Cereal provides an array of nutrients and is a good breakfast, she said, especially if the alternative is a sweet roll”. This quote cannot be referring to cereals in general because while Special K corn flakes has nutrients, I am not so sure about Captain Crunch.

    Natalie Deutsch
    period 1

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 7, 2009 at 7:44 PM

    According to the serving size, yes Fruit Loops might be a "smart choice". However, that is according to the new food rating program. If the average person eats one serving then the cereal can be considered a smart choice, but when we have 2 or 3 servings it cannot be a healthy food. These sugary foods can in no way be considered a healthy food choice in my opinion. "More than 2,000 products have received a Smart Choices logo, program administrators say. They expect that to double within months." Does this mean that almost every product can receieve a smart choice check if they just make their serving size smaller? The smart choice label might be a seller, but it is really just an advertising trick.

    Tara Cooper
    Period 5

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ana ManzanaresOctober 7, 2009 at 8:27 PM

    Ana Manzanares
    P. 3

    America has a serious problem that has to be dealt with: obesity. As the years progress Americans are becoming more obese and that's a result of their food choices. Froot Loops and Lucky Charms are most definitely not healthy choices for breakfast; they contain 12 grams of sugar per serving. The smart choices board stated that they aren't saying that these foods are healthy for you but instead "a better choice." That could cause problems because people buying the cereals and other items will misleadingly believe that they are in fact healthy because of the "smart choice" label. As a result, they will be buying and consuming more of these food items because they believe they are a healthy choice. The smart choice board should consider clarifying what their label means so that there is no confusion because Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms have never and never will be a healthy choice.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 7, 2009 at 9:05 PM

    Katherine Romer
    Period: 5

    I can not possibly understand how something with 48 grams of sugar per serving can be considered a “smart choice” Smart Choices is telling customers than cereals once considered “unhealthy” are now suitable to have a green check. These foods are not considered healthy, they are in fact, considered “better choices.” If I’m buying a cereal and I want to make a good choice, I want a cereal that is healthy, not just better than some. This is going to worsen the ongoing obesity problem. Consumers will buy these Smart Choice foods thinking they are making a healthy decision. It may be low in calories for just one small serving, but after another and another, it becomes extremely unhealthy and defeats the whole purpose of a smart choice. This idea of healthy cereals may increase advertising and sales for companies. However, this is unfair to the average person buying the products who will only see a negative effect in their health.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Katelyn KennedyOctober 8, 2009 at 12:00 AM

    The new Smart Choice labels are misleading the public to think most foods are healthy. If the programs original motive was to make the public more aware of unhealthy food choices, the program has failed at its purpose. The public has become less aware which does not help the obesity problem. The program has shifted to a marketing tool rather than an informer. The companies now change their products to meet this criteria for the label. However, this criteria is unrestricted, allowing many foods to be considered "healthy". To help the public fight obesity, the label should only be placed on the truly healthy foods, not sugary cereals or fruit roll ups. Yet, most people disregard the label and buy what they know. For example, as I'm writing this I'm eating fruit loops, I have fruit roll ups in my kitchen, yet I had no idea that they were considered "healthy".

    The standards set by this program need to be adjusted to actually provide information on the healthy items through out a store. The labels should give an accurate reading on healthiness, so the public trying to better their health may do so.

    -Katelyn Kennedy
    5th Period

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ryan LandisOctober 8, 2009 at 5:13 PM

    It is completely illogical to think for a second that a cereal such as Fruit Loops are a healthy breakfast choice. I find it hard to believe that the public in seeing a smart choice check would say oh I guess Fruit Loops is now a healthy choice. Therfore I feel that the whole idea of the smart choice check is to advertise certain foods and undermine others. Im sure there are healthier foods than Fruit Loops or Lucky Charms that did not receive a check becuase they did not componsate the Smart Check company. I am just saying that the whole Smart Check process is an advertisement technique, now instead of just saying that the taste is amazing the companies can now advertise that it is proven to be a healthy choice.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousOctober 8, 2009 at 6:58 PM

    The idea that foods such as Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms are healthy is ridiculous. This is part of the reason a majority of the american population is obese. When labeing foods filled with sugar as "healthy", more and more people will turn towards them, when in reality they are nothing of the sort. The concept of Smart Check is only good for advertising the product. Want to know how healthy a food really is? Read the nutrition facts. Foods filled with sugar that are labeled "healthy foods" just convinces kids just that, adding to the growing rate of obesity in our country.

    Chrissy Reynolds
    period 5

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sara KhanOctober 8, 2009 at 10:22 PM

    It's pretty ridiculous that Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms are being considered as being "Smart Chocies". Something that has 12-48 grams calories of added sugar per serving is definitely not healthy. Instead of trying to bring obesity rates down, this is going to mislead consumers into buying more of these cereals which may cause the obesity rate to rise. It's pretty sad when companies are more concerned with making a profit and marketing their products instead of looking at how their product may negatively affect consumers. In the end, this is just a scam done by major cereal corporations.

    Sara Khan
    Period 3

    ReplyDelete
  10. Stephen CohenOctober 9, 2009 at 6:51 AM

    I'm confused as to why someone could possibly think that food like Fruit Loops and Cheese Stuffed Pizza is healthy. According to the new food rating program these foods along with others are deemed healthy and put in the same category as brown rice and vegetables. For some reason I believe that if I went on the Fruit Loop diet the outcome would not be favorable. i just don't possibly see how the foods are considered a "smart choice" despite having 48 grams of sugar in Fruit Loops. Maybe this is why obesity is a problem in our country, because we believe Fruit Loops and Cheese Crusted Pizza is a close substitute to vegetables. I think this new food rating system needs a reality check and they need to rebrand these products because these ratings are just laughable.

    Stephen Cohen
    Period 3

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousOctober 9, 2009 at 10:56 AM

    No matter who you are, Fruit Loops are not a healthy choice for breakfast. If someone thinks that they are healthy just because the word "fruit" is in the title, they have been misinformed. Fruit Loops contain mostly sugar and sugar. As the article says, no nutritionist will recommend this cereal for breakfast. Apples and other fruits are actually healthy. If someone is concerned about getting certain vitamins that are not in fruit, then there are other options available for them. Eggs, teff, or quinoa are great alternatives. Overall, Fruit Loops are not healthy and should never be considered adequet.
    Andrea Mansourian period 6

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousOctober 9, 2009 at 9:24 PM

    Fruit loops and other sugary breakfast cereals should not be labeled as a "smart choice". It seems to be just another way for big corperations to make money off of people that are now trying to eat healthy and are obsessed with healthy options. Although I do agree that sugary cereals might be a better breakfast alternative than a doughnut or cinnabon but they are certainly not healthy.

    Marissa Wollstein
    period 3

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)