Calorie labels may be flawed

Manufacturers that are attempting to follow federal and state regulations as well as gain a higher consumer base would be wise to include customized, attractive food labels on their products before setting them off to market. As customers become more interested in nutrition facts and remaining healthy, it is vital to cater to these needs by showcasing the caloric count, sugars and sodium available in one’s produce.

Fox News reported on February 4 that experts found calorie labels to be inaccurate. When it comes to cooking, slicing and even chewing food, the amount of calories in each bite could be different from what many people previously thought.

While some foods are more likely to leave calories stored in the body, other calories are used up during digestion and even by the bacteria stored in the intestines. The current system of counting calories – the Atwater system – was first invented more than 100 years ago, the source explained.

“Given that the Atwater system is treating essentially all foods the same, we aren’t getting a good perspective when it come times to make dietary choices,” Rachel Carmody, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s FAS Center for Systems Biology, told the news source. “By getting a better understating of the effective calories in food, we’ll get a better sense of human energy requirement.”

The New York Daily News reported on a study issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which found that American consumers may make healthier food choices if different food labels illustrated the calories and nutrients in the entire parcel instead of only part of it. Manufacturers and others in the food industry would benefit from purchasing a Primera LX900 color label printer to develop the necessary labels showcasing the nutrition available in their products.