But Mom, It Says It’s Healthy and Good for Me

“For a product to carry a health claim on its package, it must first have a package, so right off the bat it’s more likely to be a processed rather than a whole food.” Michael Pollan

Do you tend to believe or doubt the health claims made by food manufacturers?  Why do you feel that way?

…they resorted to deception to save themselves.  (Jos. 9:4a; NLT)

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I guess that means that those of us who are labeled “foodies” by some, are becoming more and more of a culture-shaping influence. Maybe we’re actually winning.

Have you noticed how organic food used to be something only the fringe people of society bought and consumed, but now almost every grocery store in the land is selling some amount of organic produce. The arguments that organic is no better for you are tired and worn out, and people have begun to see through the sheer lack of logic in such an argument. Hence, industrial agriculture is scrambling to lobby for legislation that reduces the standards of organic in order to preserve market share.

And it’s not just about produce. More and more food packages in the grocery store are touting the words, “healthy” and “nutritious” and the like. Let me give you a hint. As so eloquently expressed in today’s quote by Michael Pollan, the word “healthy” on a package of food is an oxymoron. If the food comes in a package, probability is super high that it was processed. If it was processed, there is no way it can be healthy.

Sharon and I have first hand experience with an incredulous system that can virtually shut down a supplement manufacturer if they even mention the name of a disease on the same piece of paper as they mention the name of their product. The FDA rides in with loud cries of “drug claims.” In our warped system, only pharmaceutical drugs can make the claim of being useful in the treatment of a disease.

However, have you noticed the cereal ads aimed at your children lately? Amazing what they are getting away with that supplement manufacturers can’t. General Mills has been touting the effectiveness of a bowl of Cheerios in reducing your cholesterol for over a year. (At last check, high cholesterol was considered a disease.) To their credit, the FDA did go after them. Back in mid-May of last year it was all over the news that the FDA was after General Mills for their egregious claims of a disease cure.

Guess what! General Mills is still running the ads on TV ( I saw them during the Olympics), and if you do a Google search on FDA, General Mills, Cheerios, you will not find another mention of the issue since May of last year. The FDA has not gained one inch against the food giant in almost a year. Amazing what a little money will do, isn’t it?

Against that backdrop, a brilliant article appeared in the Huffington Post about a week ago. Christina Pirello authored a very bold and outspoken article titled “General Mills Declares War On Our Kids’ Health.” I’ve included her article as the Link of the Day. I can’t urge you enough to take a few minutes to read this amazing explanation of how deceptively the food industry skates around and ignores the rules the regulatory agencies attempt to enforce. We the public are being blatantly lied to and no one seems to have the power to stop it. Fortunately, people like Ms. Pirello are beginning to shine some light on the scam.

Again, let me remind you that giants don’t fall easily. But be encouraged that in spite of the outcome of these little skirmishes, it does appear that more and more people are beginning to wake up and care what they put in their mouth. This war is winnable!

Prayer Power
Father, we pray that more and more people will wake up to some of the abuses of power that are occurring due to the influence of money and greed.

Link of the Day
General Mills Declares War On Our Kid’s Health

Blessings on you as you purpose to become more and more knowledgeable regarding what you eat.

Photo by seththerabbit

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