Nutritional Product Labeling Practices
This
information is presently being developed. Suffice it to say
that at the present time there are simply no legal requirements
concerning "truth in labeling" for nutritional products. About
the only restriction is that manufacturers of nutritional products may
not make claims concerning the health benefits of their products. For
example, it has long been common knowledge that cranberry juice is
beneficial in the treatment of urinary tract infections. However,
although the manufacturer of cranberry food products may not make that
claim, unaffiliated third parties may make such claims, whether or not
such claims are "approved
by the F.D.A." F.D.A. approval has little or no bearing on
whether or not a product is truly effective for the use for which it is
being advertised or sold, or even whether or not it is safe for human
consumption.
Any product that contains only 10%
natural ingredients in it may be labeled and advertised as a
"natural" product. Products may contain large amounts of
harmful ingredients that are not required to listed on the label (MSG
for example, is known to be a major cause of migraine headaches, but it
is not required to be listed on the ingredients of any packaged food
product).
A client of ours recently purchased a
bottle of "St. John's Wort" at a national chain-store
"nutrition center," and complained to us that it did not seem
to be helping her. Upon examination of the bottle, we found that
although the product was labeled as "St. John's Wort" the
primary ingredient listed was talc (yes, talcum powder), and that there
was no St. John's Wort herb listed anywhere in the product's list of
ingredients.
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