8 September 2009

Since when is Fruit Loops a 'Smart Choice'?

Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not a big fan of the green checkmark label that denotes so-called Smart Choice foods. When diet pop earns a check, something is decidedly wrong with the system. Unfortunately, that dirty green check is slated to appear on hundreds of food packages, including sugary cereals like Fruit Loops.

The rationale of food industry insiders?

“You’re rushing around, you’re trying to think about healthy eating for your kids and you have a choice between a doughnut and a cereal,” Dr. Kennedy [president of the Smart Choices board] said, evoking a hypothetical parent in the supermarket. “So Froot Loops is a better choice.”

BARELY. Let’s break down the nutritional stats:

Old-fashioned Dunkin’ Donuts cake donut: 280 calories, 18g fat, 3g protein, 1g fiber, 9g sugar.

One cup of Fruit Loops with a cup of 2% milk: 260 calories, 6g fat, 2g protein, 1g fiber, 13g sugar.

Yes, the donut has triple the fat, but the Loops have more sugar! So by “smart choice,” what they really seem to mean is, “slightly better choice.”

This overly simplified nutritional guidance will probably hurt us more than it will help us. Read labels for yourselves, guys. That little green check means nothing. Most importantly, if the food has a label to begin with, it’s already a little bit less smart of a choice.

Thanks to my awesome uncle Joe for sending me the article link!