Smart Choices Program - Voluntarily Postponed

Posted by Renee Shelton Oct 23, 2009

Smart Choices Program was first started by the Keystone Center, Food and Nutrition Roundtable, in 2007. The 'Smart Choices Program', first began to give consumers a quick peek at a product regarding its overall nutrition, and has been under scrutiny by many who wonder why products often containing high amounts of sugar are labeled as a 'smart choice' when shopping. For consumers who don't read labels, picking up a commercial package with a label stamped with a 'Smart Choice' and green check mark gives essentially a green light to eat it without reading the nutritional details.

Here is a criteria of foods that qualify and general nutrition information, from the Smart Choices Program.

This program is administered by the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and NSF International, not the FDA. Even the FDA is concerned with the possibility of people choosing products that are more refined rather than the fresh foods themselves in this letter cowritten by the Senior Advisor for Food Safety at the Food and Drug Administration and Deputy Undersecretary for Food Safety at the Department of Agriculture.

The FDA has been looking at other labeling, such as the UK's Food Standards Agency Traffic Light Labeling. Unfortunately, not many companies here in the US would appreciate being singled out with a red light, but perhaps that would make it easier for consumers who don't read lables to easily spot those products that are excessively high in sugar, salt or other criteria.