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General discussionFood labeling in the US is a scam(126 posts)(126 posts)
(126 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted April 26, 2016
It's not a US-only thing. Doesn't really change much, but maybe it makes you feel a bit better . . . or even more pissed. ;P
Posted April 26, 2016
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Tyrrhia: It's not a US-only thing. Doesn't really change much, but maybe it makes you feel a bit better . . . or even more pissed. ;P
Thank you. XD

I really didn't feel like enduring a 'bash the U.S.' thread right now'.

Not that we don't deserve it, I'm just not up for it at this moment.
Posted April 26, 2016
This just in: People attempting to make money lie about things.
Posted April 26, 2016
I am with you brother!! I myself am a previous bodybuilder and have been on a pretty strict diet for over a decade. I have learned enough to catch onto what all of those chemicals actually are, however; I remain convinced they are simply trying to "thin the heard" by signing their name on a contract with the devil all in the name of the all-mighty dollar.
Posted April 26, 2016
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zeogold: This just in: People attempting to make money lie about things.
US interpretation of "democracy" is ability to lie with no consequences if you are a corporation.

"And these people tell me about corruption" *




*
A child wakes up midnight due to the thirst.
As he walks through the corridor he notices that mom gives the head to the dad.
He walks by and says to himself
"And these people teach me hygiene."
Posted April 26, 2016
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Tyrrhia: It's not a US-only thing. Doesn't really change much, but maybe it makes you feel a bit better . . . or even more pissed. ;P
So there's other countries too that might be bashed. Luckily round here it's an obligation to put 'modified' before ingredients that are GMO, though it's an understatement you'd need to know from elsewhere what it's about and 'genetically engineered' would be much more appropriate.

Dutch grievances about food: you can check the first number on the egg to see if it's organic or if the chicken lived in a tiny cage. However Organic = 0, Tiny cage = 4. Whereas the logic of my mind says 0: the chicken had zero quality of life, 4: it's a four-star organic egg. So I can never remember what's what when i'm in the store as the numbers go against the grain of common sense and intuition. And the food industry lobbied on purpose to have organic get number 0. Damn crooks.
Posted April 26, 2016
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Tyrrhia: It's not a US-only thing. Doesn't really change much, but maybe it makes you feel a bit better . . . or even more pissed. ;P
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DubConqueror: Dutch grievances about food: you can check the first number on the egg to see if it's organic or if the chicken lived in a tiny cage. However Organic = 0, Tiny cage = 4.
What if he lived in low rent housing on the East Side? What if was in a timeshare?
Posted April 26, 2016
Have you also seen packages of vegetables and fruits, that have word "Ecological" on them? Half of the farms producing those veggies and fruits spray shit and chemicals in the fields at 4AM in the morning, before the workers come to work. In turn, even the workers can't tell sometimes if the plants that supposed to be grown in eco way, are actually eco or not.

I have seen this with my own eyes by the way.
Posted April 26, 2016
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onarliog: 5) The calorie challenge: I'm about to receive a PhD in computer science in the coming months, but I'll be damned if I can compute the amount of calories in a single microwaveable bag of popcorn. I dare you, go read the back of a 3-pack box and try for yourself.
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JMich: 1 gram of fat has 9 kcal. 1 gram of protein or hydrocarbon has 4 kcal. So it's a simple formula of (4*(protein+hydrocarbon)+9*fat).
No idea what the packaging you are talking about looks like though.
Pre-post edit: Wikipedia lists some other ingredient categories, along with their energy densities, so the formula is slightly longer, but still quite easy. You could easily drop it in a spreadsheet and have it automatically calculate the calories.
Actually, in the US they at least need to report how many grams of what macro-nutrients are available in each serving. And separately, how many servings a box yields. Which is pretty good. This is sufficient info to calculate calories with some simple math.

Popcorn is a different story :) It usually comes in, say, 3-packs, and all they need to do is tell you the answer to "how many calories / how much macro-nutrients in a single pack of popped corn". Because, you know, that's what you eat. But alas, popcorn brands for some reason do this in a ridiculously convoluted way. A single serving is an absurd impractical fraction of a single pack, so first you take your calculator and go from a serving to the entire box, and then divide by 3 to get a single pack's worth. But it doesn't end there, because there is also some inexplicably big gap in calories between raw corn, and the popped yield from the same package, both listed on the package to further the confusion. The numbers don't even match up, and you're left to wonder if spending this much time on some frigging corn is warranted. This is a pretty well-known issue in the US, and you'll often see posts on this in nutrition blogs :)

I'll try to post a picture of an actual box later for everybody's amusement.


BTW. The health food craze has gotten so out of hand that rather than seeing non-GMO stamped on every single thing, something like this makes me happier these days.
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Post edited April 26, 2016 by onarliog
Posted April 26, 2016
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JMich:
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onarliog: BTW. The health food craze has gotten so out of hand
Do you think? :P
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Posted April 26, 2016
In Germany we have fairly strict laws when it comes to food labeling. In example, you can't label a drink as beer, if it contains any additional ingredients, such as other drinks or added flavors. And fruit juice has to be 100% made from fruit, without added sugar, flavours etc. or it has to be labeled as "fruit drink" or "fruit nectar", depending on the ratio of fruit, water and other ingredients.

Of course, anything that's ( commercially ) successful in the U.S. eventually finds its way to Germany and the rest of Europe. In the long run, I'm sure food is no exception to that rule. :/
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onarliog: BTW. The health food craze has gotten so out of hand
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tinyE: Do you think? :P
Does it have reduced calories, or what? :|
Post edited April 26, 2016 by CharlesGrey
Posted April 26, 2016
sadly food labeling is a world wide scam
Post edited April 27, 2016 by apehater
Posted April 26, 2016
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apehater: sadly foof labeling is a world wide scam
WTF is foof? :P
Posted April 27, 2016
low rated
I've heard Yanks will put anything in their mouth:)
Posted April 27, 2016
Damn. that sucks! If I ever visit US, I must remember not to eat anything.

In EU they seem to be very strict on labeling. For decades we used to have e.g. "Voimariini" which is butter and vegetable oils mixed together, kind of a "healthier butter". At some point EU apparently decided the name can't include "voi" (which means "butter" in Finnish) because it is not 100% butter. So they just changed the name to "Oivariini". Kinda silly, but oh well.

Also, the milk where lactose has been removed (for people who are lactose-intolerant)... apparently it can't be called milk either, but a "milkdrink" (maitojuoma). Not sure why, apparently because it isn't considered "genuine" milk as there is no lactose in it so it has been somehow processed after it came out of a cow. Then again, it is not like the generic lactose-milk is raw milk either, it is processed too (pasteurized + homogenized).
Post edited April 27, 2016 by timppu
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionFood labeling in the US is a scam(126 posts)(126 posts)
(126 posts)