Marketing, Law, Politicians and looking at the back side of the label

I was at a friend's house cooking breakfast and when I went to the cupboard for an additional ingredient a product caught my attention.


It was the phrase "Good Source of Calcium & 5 Vitamins and Iron" that appeared on a package of Martha White Blueberry Muffin Mix that jumped out at me . As a very health conscious person I am careful what I eat. Often it is fruits and vegetables along with grains and legumes. I try to eat organics as much as I can.




I knew this brand was not one of the organics or health food brands. I then began to take a closer look at this product. Particularly I wanted to see if it contained partially hydrogenated oils. It did. The fourth most ingredient ahead of things like corn flower and baking powder.

What are the last four ingredients; those that appear in only trace amounts? Vitamins. There is more artificial colouring than vitamins. A serving of this product, one muffin that weighs about 2 ounces, contains 8% of the RDA of Saturated Fat and Carbohydrates based upon a 2000 calorie per day diet. Those added vitamins are about 10% each. Although extracted or processed vitamins do provide nutrition the best way to obtain vitamins is from the products that they occur in naturally.

Each muffin only contains 1 gram of protein. Although there is no RDA on protein nutritional experts recommended that an adult female take in 46 grams and an adult male 56 grams of protein per day. I am quickly starting to think that this product cannot be a "Good Source" of nutrition. Afterall, the primary ingredient is enriched bleached flour.

The front of the package provides some more questionable information. Across the top is the slogan "Making Family Traditions Easy For Over 100 Years". That is a great slogan if your family traditions include taking separate elevators on family outings because of capacity restrictions or visiting each other in hospitals to watch another family member die of heart disease.

Appearing in about 60% shade is the words "ARTIFICIALLY FLAVORED" and "WITH ARTIFICIAL BLUEBERRY BITS". For some reason Martha White doesn't want you to know that some of her "highest quality products" contain artificial ingredients.

When I think of food that is a "good source" of nutrients I think of nutrient dense foods in which the nutrients occur naturally. Artificial colours, hydrogenated oils, bleached flour, eggs and dairy do not come to mind. But what does this have to do with law?

You may not realize it but some of the same marketing and advertising firms that develop these product packages and slogans also package laws. Take, for instance, the No Child Left Behind Act. I have read it. It took me a few hours on each of three days but I made it through all 800 pages. I call it, more aptly, the No Child Allowed to Excel Act because of the program requirements that specifically seek to bring all students within a prescribed test result range by lowering the achievement of the most gifted students. Ever wonder why our universities are packed with foreigners who are obtaining our top rankings?

So how does a food processor get by with calling such an unhealthy and highly processed "food" a good source of nutrition? It's the same government that told you the "invasion of privacy and repeal of civil liberties act" was patriotic and to protect you. Need I say more?

The point in having you read this is to say DON'T TRUST THE PACKAGE. Read the fine print whether it be a law or a politician. Look behind the image otherwise your may be getting your "good source" from something devoid of natural goodness or anything real.

Subscribe


Indiana Custodial Rights Advocates

©2010 Stuart Showalter, LLC. Permission is granted to all non-commercial entities to reproduce this article in it's entirety with credit given.