Citizens for Health, one of the country's oldest consumer advocacy groups, is once again encouraging American families to get the "411" on what's in packaged foods and beverages by naming 4/11/2014 as the second annual "Read Your Labels Day."
Ingredients labels on food and beverage packages are one of the most valuable tools consumers have, and are required by the Food & Drug Administration to provide vital information. Reading them can help families safeguard their health and make smart, informed choices about their nutrition.
"We should all read food and beverage ingredients labels to find out what we're really eating," said James S. Turner who chairs Citizens for Health. "We suggest shoppers avoid ingredients that they are unable to pronounce or define because usually these are not really food at all, but substances with questionable chemical ingredients, like artificial sweeteners, artificial colors and preservatives."
Based in Washington, D.C. the non-profit organization powers the Food IdentityTheft.com website to keep consumers aware of the latest food and beverage safety issues and concerns, including information about controversial ingredients that can be found in hundreds of processed and packaged foods, as well as where to look for them and why families should avoid products that contain them.
The Food Identity Theft website has published the "Top 10 Ingredients to Avoid," a list of today's most worrisome sweeteners, preservatives, and industrially synthesized additives, such as high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, potassium bromate and monosodium glutamate. Consumers are asked to take photos of supermarket products they find that contain these ingredients and share them on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #ReadYourLabels.
"It's no secret that the better informed we are, the better the choices we make. That should include what we feed ourselves and our kids," added Turner. "Choosing to read ingredients labels is one of the smartest decisions families can make."
Frequent ultra-processed food consumption raises mortality risks, especially in women