FDA Proposes Revision to Nutritional Facts Label

They'll give people more useful information ... and the so-called "regulatory burden" will be next to nil, since it's a matter of presenting information in a more useful way on labels that already exist, and have since the administration of that evil big-government Democrat, George H.W. Bush.

It's not a new regulation. It is an attempt to make the existing regulation make more sense, which you'd think people would be in favor of.

Stop eating ice cream, you fat fuck.

I have a bucket twice a year.

I could cut even those out, but then, what the fuck am I living for?

That goes against one of the cherished libertopian beliefs that if you keep a certain segment of the population ignorant, they'll die off, and then there'll be More Stuff for the survivors.

Bullshit. I read the label of everything I buy. Most of my friends do as well. And I did it long before I had health issues.

Within reason, that's a great idea.

I mean, a food manufacturer shouldn't have to give out their recipe, for cryin' out loud, but a centralized database of food contents that could be expanded as needs require would be far more useful than trying to print everything on a label.

A label should probably have some minimal information on it: gross contents, serving size, fat/carbs/protein per serving, and any special warnings for common dietary problems. Below that a Q&R tag that, if you scan with your phone, gives you the whole rundown.

That would be a nice compromise. Manufacturer's wouldn't have to constantly update their labels, nor would they have to compromise the packaging to make it all fit, and consumers could get as much information as they liked.

I like it.

Or scanners in the supermarket aisles. They already have coupon scanners; why not calibrate the software for nutrition as well?

Avoids the elitism of "Only people with iPhones can have access to this information."

FTFY

It's obvious why you tend to hide behind rep. Maybe someday you'll actually be able to participate in the conversation instead of derailing threads with your version of "cute."

Now be sure to say something "clever" when you neg-rep this post.

Yes, that was the one big objection I saw coming. Dunno if it's practical to put a scanner in every aisle (and could everyone read the screen on it, anyway?), but certainly a scan station somewhere in the store...

Obese people ignore labels anyway, so the really interesting question is: what should be done to combat obesity at its root? I'm not sure if a "I don't care, let them choose to be obese" approach is optimal. After all, we all share a common environment and common living spaces, so we should try not to aesthetically pollute them. People are generally beautiful. Morbidly obese people not so much.

Let me 'splain: NO-ON READS SIGNS. Doesn't matter if it's a label on a package of food or a road sign saying "exit only". People in general just don't pay attention to them.

Our food is the way it is because it can be manufactured relatively cheaply, it has a substantial shelf life, and people buy it. There's no deep-rooted conspiracy driving General Mills to put Red Dye #3 in their products. They use what's cheap and will generate a profit in the short term. Period.

Ideally we'd all be eating farm-fresh pesticide- and hormone-free foods. What's on your table for dinner should have been on the vine that morning, so to speak. But given how our population is distributed, that's simply not feasible without some magic transportation technology.

Like anything else, eating responsibly takes effort. You have to read labels, make informed choices, and yes, expect the government to force companies to spend money on doing things properly instead of expediently. Modern western businesses are focused on short-term profits above all other concerns, and government is the only mechanism we have for correcting that. That is, until our business schools stop teaching "profit uber alles" as the only way to go.

I have an idea for the FDA -- simplify the labels. All labels. Everything from Mars bars to Marlboros. Give them all the same piece of text:

"Life has a 100% mortality rate."

Might as well dump this here.


Cereal Killers

[YT="You'll never get out of this world alive."]19vApPwWqh8[/YT]

Why do you think there was an earthquake on the east coast, and a hurricane that headed toward Martha's Vineyard?

I like the idea of being informed of what ingredients are in my food. The current labels do just fine as they are.

Nothing is good the way it is.
Nothing.

Food from my garden and the farmers' markets doesn't come with labels. I'd really like to know ahead of time if I'm getting some caterpillars, maggots or mold along with that stuff.

Hold up two similar loaves of bread, and without labels, tell me what's in them and how much of it you can eat. Compare two boxes of crackers; one with organic ingredients (with a Certified Organic! sticker on the front), and the other with traditional ingredients. Which one is better for you? Remember, no labels.

I know tons of people who keep track of their daily calorie intake and protein/fat/carb ratio who definitely care about labels.

Bread and crackers are not good for you anyway.

Depends, are you good, or bad?
If bad, maggots.

There's plenty of mold that's worse than maggots.

Man, apparently there is absolutely nothing this administration won't do to screw things up.

Oh, and this was one of the comments at the link up there.

And there's delicious mold, like in bleu cheese.
The difference?
Obedience training.

I quit. I have only had half a dozen cigars since 1996.

Hey, maggots are a delicacy in some parts of the world.

But, but, fractions are SCARY and EVIL!

No math in the Red Room!