New labels help consumers sort out nutrition facts - sort of
A number of food products aren't waiting until the seasons change to debut their new looks.
Starting this month, products from Kellogg's, Kraft, Unilever and other global manufacturers will sport the Smart Choices label, a front-of-pack nutrition tag designed to help consumers pick better-for-them foods and beverages.
The green check means the product meets specific nutrition criteria based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other nutrition science. The program evaluates everything from muffins and cereals to snacks, frozen entrees and fruit drinks based on criteria specific to that food or beverage category. The criteria for each is outlined at smartchoicesprogram.com.
Keep in mind that this program has the support of big food manufacturers, so even products with considerable sodium or a trace of trans fats can get a green check if they rank high in fiber or other nutrient categories.
Smart Choices joins a slew of other labeling efforts - the American Heart Association's whole-grain, high-fiber certification, the Whole Grain Stamp, Bob Green's Best Life - in helping to direct consumer purchases.
Later this fall, Meijer stores bring Nu-Val scores to their shelves. Unlike Smart Choices, NuVal (nutrition value) scores are determined by an independent group, yet that group is keeping its formula to itself.
The NuVal score - 1 to 100 with 100 being the best score - will appear on the shelf, not the products, with the pricing information. On the Web site, nuval.com, you can check scores by category.
I was surprised by some of the things I found. Kellogg's All-Bran Complete Wheat Flakes earned a modest 31; Cascadian Farms French Fries (frozen) a 76.
The aim of the score is not to get you to buy only foods with high scores, but to make you aware that all foods have some nutritional value and that you should balance nutrient-rich and nutrient-poor foods in your diets.
Understanding omega-3: You've heard you should eat more omega-3s (it's one of things considered in the Smart Choices Program, after all) but do you know what that really means?
In an effort to broaden our understanding of omega-3 fatty acids, a Purdue University-based international consortium launched a Web site and newsletter campaign.
"People have heard of omega-3s, but they don't understand what omega-3s are, the types of omega-3s in food and how to use them for better health," said Purdue nutrition professor Bruce Watkins. "There are different types of omega-3s needed throughout the lifetime. We're trying to help consumers with information that will help them make good decisions throughout their lives."
Omega-3 fatty acids are found in nuts, oils and fish. Some are essential for retinal and brain development in infants, for instance, and for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults.
The Web site, omega3learning.purdue.edu, answers basic questions about what omega-3 fatty acids do, where to find them and how to ensure a person is getting the right type. There also is a database of foods and pet-food products that contain omega-3s and a chart that shows how much and what type of omega-3s men and women of different ages and with differing health histories should consume.
Five-star food from Six Flags? Corn dogs, funnel cakes, nachos, snow cones, turkey legs. Can those ingredients really be turned into a gourmet feast?
Tune in tonight, Aug. 26, to Food Network's "Dinner: Impossible" and see if chef Robert Irvine call pull together a meal for 250 coaster enthusiasts in nine hours using the concession foods found at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee. Turkey-stuffed calzones and mini burgers "breaded" in corn chips, perhaps?
The show airs at 9 p.m.; check local listings for channel information.
Eat local: Learn how to prepare locally raised Piedmontese beef from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, at Viking Cooking School and Culinary Shop, 1140 N. Milwaukee Ave., Glenview.
Chef Peter Trusiak will show you how to turn the lean, tender meat from Heartland Meats in downstate Mendota into marinated sirloin beef salad in lettuce cups, grilled flank steak with traditional herb Chimichuri sauce, Wisconsin blue cheeseburgers and demonstrate other recipes.
The class costs $89 and includes recipes and samples. Advanced registration is required at (847) 350-0705 or vikingcookingschool.com.
- Deborah Pankey
• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at (847) 427-4524 or food@dailyherald.com. Listen to her discuss food and restaurant trends on "Restaurant Radio Chicago" from 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560-AM.