Front labels on food for children called deceptive

Labels on the front of foods marketed to children tout all types of nutritional benefits to give the products a healthful seal of approval. But 84 percent of those claims are misleading, according to a study released Wednesday by Strategic Alliance, a coalition of California nutrition and exercise experts.

Nutrition and health professionals looked at 58 "better for you" products, and found that most of them did not meet the basic nutrition standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Academies of Science.

The Prevention Institute, a national nonprofit in Oakland dedicated to promoting policies that foster health and quality of life, oversaw the study, which started in August. Researchers found:

-- 57 percent of the products studied qualified as high in sugar and 95 percent contained added sugar.

-- 53 percent were low in fiber.

-- 53 percent did not contain any fruits or vegetables; of the 47 percent that did, half contained just two: tomatoes and corn.

-- 24 percent of the foods were high in saturated fats.

-- 36 percent were high in sodium.

Call for stricter rules

Both organizations are calling on the Food and Drug Administration to set stricter rules for front-of-the-package labeling, which they say families rely on to make quick, healthful choices in the supermarket.

"Parents know what is healthy, and they look for it when they shop. They're looking for whole grains, low-sodium, low-sugar foods for their kids," said Larry Cohen, Prevention Institute's executive director.

"When corporations put a label on the front of the box calling something a smart choice, parents believe it - and why shouldn't they? You can't blame them for trusting what they see. We have to regulate labels and stop using them to mask a host of unhealthy ingredients buried inside.

"Food companies should - and could - be doing better. Our families deserve it."

Label defended as accurate

But a spokesman for Con-Agra Foods Inc., maker of Kid Cuisine All-Star Chicken Breast Nuggets, which the study identified as one of the worst offenders, stands by its packaging.

"Kid Cuisine All-Star Chicken Nuggets is a complete meal with front-of-pack labeling that accurately reflects the meal's nutritional makeup," Jeff Mochal, a spokesman for ConAgra, wrote in an e-mail. "We're confident that this, and all Kid Cuisine meals, can be part of a nutritional diet."

Kellogg's, another manufacturer criticized in the study, did not respond to a request seeking comment, and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a trade association, did not return calls.

The front-of-the-package labels should not be confused with the nutrition facts panel that is found on the side or back of the box, which is regulated by government guidelines. Health advocates say that manufacturers are using the front labels to game the system.

"Right now, it's a free-for-all," said Juliet Sims, nutritionist and the author of the study, called "Claiming Health: Front-of-Package Labeling of Children's Food." "Manufacturers are allowed to create their own front labels and go to town with them."

Some rules in place

Siobhan Delancey, a spokeswoman for the FDA, said it's not quite the "free-for-all" as described. There are some rules in place for these front labels, and they're enforced, "but there's not a standardized scheme of how these labels should look." Current rules prohibit the use of unauthorized claims about health benefits and nutrient content.

The FDA is working on it, she said. The agency is studying whether front-package labels are useful to consumers and are trying to establish standardized definitions for what a manufacturer can or cannot claim on the cover of its package.

Caution to consumers

Recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, are pending. In the meantime, Sims said she hopes that the FDA looks at this as a wake-up call that changes need to be made quickly.

She also warns shoppers that there's not always truth in advertising.

"Consumers do rely on these front-package labels and believe they're regulated," she said. "And that's a perfectly reasonable expectation."

E-mail Stacy Finz at sfinz@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle