Food Labels/Accuracy

[Guest guest]

Request For Health Topic: - Food Labels

Date: 1/29/2006

Whom It May Concern

From:

diabet60@.../Bett

RE:

Food Labels/ Accuracy

I find it extremely confusing to understand food labels today. I drink coffee. And use cream or a creamer in my coffee. I am on a weight loss/diabetic diet plan, so I have to be careful.

I was trying to figure out which cream/creamer is best to use. I realize that using none at all is the best choice. And eventually will do that.

I am in a diabetic group online, and recently this subject came up about coffee creams/creamers. I had already been wrestling with the subject myself. I found that the entire group was also confused about which to use or what to do. And that lead to other topics where food labeling is concerned and how difficult it is to understand them.

For Example:

The None Dairy Creamer I have before me has a label that reads as the following:

Serving Size 1 tsp

Calories 10

Total Fat 0

Saturated Fat 0

Trans Fats 0

Carbohydrate 1g

Doing The Math

Fat: 0 g X 9 Calories per g = 0

Carbohydrate 1g X 4 Calories per g = 4

This comes to 4 Calories per 1 tsp (serving) doesn't it?

Not the 10 calories that the container label says.

Then I have Milnot Cream:

Serving Size 2 Tablespoons

Calories 40

Total Fat 2.0 g

Saturated Fat 0.5 g

Carbohydrate 3g

Doing The Math

Fat: 2 g X 9 Calories per g = 18

Carbohydrate 3g X 4 Calories per g = 12

This comes to 30 total Calories per 2 Tablespoon Serving.

Not the 40 Calories that the food label says.

If you go by what the container says,

You have:

Dry Creamer Such As

CoffeeMate being 60 Calories per 2 Tablespoons

Milnot being 40

Calories per 2 Tablespoons.

This way it would be Milnot

that is the less calories and best to use on a weight loss plan.

If you go by the math I did:

Coffee Mate is

24 Calories per 2 Tablespoons

Milnot is

30 Calories Per 2 Tablespoons

This way it would be COFFEEMATE that is the less calories and best to use on a weight loss plan.

CoffeeMate has 0g Fat yet 10 Calories per 1 tsp

Milnot has 2.0g Fat yet 40 Calories per 2 Tablespoons

(Going by their food labels)

How can the general Public make any sense of this? And when our country has the highest rate of Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Why can't something be done to make this easier for the public?

I'd appreciate research done on this and action taken. I personally do not know where to start. How to make changes?

This isn't just a problem with cream/creamers. I find this confusion in most all food labels.

Thank you for your time

Bett

diabet60@...