1/21/25: Stop Calling RD's Food Guide Pyramid Pushers!; Reactions to Proposed FOP label; What do we call "plant-based" products?; and more
Because EVERYBODY Eats
🙄How many times have you seen someone post on social media or claim on a reel or video that “dietitians promote the Food Guide Pyramid”? Here’s a quick way to address that - we haven’t used the FGP as the visual representation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans since 2011. For the history of food guides used in the US see A Brief History of the USDA Food Guides
Introductory offer available until 1/31/25 - get 20% an annual subscription
🥫Proposed FOP label
The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) has proposed a new FOP (front of package) label. Currently it is in the comment period, which means you can communicate your thoughts on this proposed label to the FDA by May 16, 2025: Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling | FDA
When we posted this to our platforms, reactions and comments were mixed. (For contrast, and because some have referenced them, here are the FOP labels used in the UK and below it, Mexico.):
Here are a few comments that garnered the most agreement —overall the reactions were less than positive:
Caitlyn S. “Definitely think this is going to increase diet culture’s grip on society and I think this will not help the prevalence of disordered eating, diagnosed or not diagnosed. Not looking forward to this.”
Daniel M. “Looks awful. Honestly, the FDA should rip off the UK one. The traffic light approach helps.”
Susan W. “We have the traffic light system here in UK. Not convinced it makes any difference. And it's harder for those with eating disorders to avoid seeing the calories.”
Kristen R. “Interesting idea but I think poorly executed - % daily value is my least favorite since it doesn’t apply across the board.”
Mark H. “Seed oils would get a great rating ... sugar-free, sodium-free, and low saturated fat.”
Kim C. “Happy to hear there will not be any stoplight colors! Other countries have tried something similar, and it made no difference whatsoever. IMO people need greater access to dietitians, not so many changes to food packaging.”
Veronica G. “I like it but could argue that it appears too “busy” or complicated for the average consumer…. the black octagon labels that have been added to the front of food packages in Mexico and Chile would be easier to grasp.”
Dawn D. “I’m plus/minus on this…. I do like the %DV as a quick indicator, but not sure the general public really knows how to interpret it….so maybe this new label will help?”
Barbara C. “So, you have a client on a 1500 mg sodium restriction. This % does not simplify life for them because math is so difficult for so many, and low must equate to "I can eat all I want."…”
Jessie F. “In the same way that restaurant menu calorie printing and packaged stoplights made little difference, I don't see this changing behavior in any meaningful way.”
Tom M. “Not sure we should imply the healthfulness of a food based on 3 components.”
Vanessa H. “…I don’t hate it. I also agree with an earlier comment raising concerns for judging the health of a food based on 3 values. However, I do feel this would be helpful for those with cardiovascular and BG (blood glucose) concerns, which let’s face it, is a large percentage of our population.”
What are YOUR thoughts on this proposed FOP label? Do you plan on commenting to the FDA?
🌱Vegan “Cheese”
We’re trialing a new feature which is a look at new products. This write up was done in conjunction with dietitian Nicole Ibarra. This is NOT a sponsored feature and neither Nicole nor Build Up Dietitians have a financial connection with this brand. Since taste is subjective and often very personal, we will not be describing or critiquing the taste, but will stick to packaging, ingredients and nutrition information.
Product Name: Nuts for Cheese Style Wedges
Overall Packaging & Labeling:
On all their products, they have a vegan label as well as an Organic certified label and they also use ‘Dairy-Free’…the company cannot use the word 'cheese' on the label to describe the product (for a brick cheese, it must contain at least 50% milkfat by weight (21 CFR 133.108). Since this product does not contain any dairy, this company uses the phrase "fermented cashew product" and specifies the type of flavor such as 'Super Blue'.)
Ingredients: CASHEWS*, COCONUT OIL*, QUINOA REJUVELAC (WATER, QUINOA*), WATER, NUTRITIONAL YEAST, CHICKPEA MISO (RICE*, CHICKPEAS*, SEA SALT, WATER, KOJI SPORES), SEA SALT, SPIRULINA*.
*ORGANIC
CONTAINS: CASHEW, COCONUT
(In case you were curious about “koji spores” (Aspergillus oryzae) “…is a mold used in East Asia to saccharify rice, sweet potato, and barley in the making of alcoholic beverages such as sake and shōchū, and also to ferment soybeans for making soy sauce and miso.”)(Wikipedia)
Nutrition Info:
See their website for more information and products.
How does this compare to 1 oz of Blue Cheese made from milk? (from Very Well Fit) The real dairy blue cheese has less fat, fewer calories, fewer carbohydrates, and more protein …it does have more sodium than the vegan product.
🤔What To Call “Plant-Based” Foods?
What the FDA's Labelling Guidance Means for Plant-Based Meat
“…For plant-based food producers…they’re allowed to use terms like ‘sausage’, ‘burger’, and ‘yogurt’ on their packaging, so long as they don’t mislead consumers.
But there is a big caveat too. The FDA prefers that companies highlight the source ingredients in their products. So instead of ‘vegan Cheddar cheese’, it’s more comfortable with ‘soy-based Cheddar cheese’. Likewise, ‘chickpea and lentil nuggets’ is preferred over ‘meat-free nuggets’.”
🛒Substack: Shopping for UPFs - Dietitian Jessica Wilson
Eating ultraprocessed foods can be healthy. I should know—I’m a dietitian.
“…Ultraprocessed food is a long, science-y term for something with a squishy definition. It doesn’t indicate nutritional value, but it looks really fancy in print. Eating nothing but fast food and chips and cookies will likely make you feel bad, but that’s not news. I think most people can get by in the grocery store not by becoming food scientists and stressing over every ingredient—as though any of us need one more thing to stress over!—but by following the basics of nutrition, trying to get protein and produce onto our plates as best we can.”