ANOTATD BIB

This is a collaborated annotated bibliography done by Ashley Approvato, Brittany Barger, & Kim Ostrander. It's in contribution to our larger, more in-depth Collaborative Research Project on Food Labeling.

Adams, Mike. "All natural" claim on food labels is often deceptive; foods harbor hidden MSG and other unnatural ingredients. Natural News. 2005. http://www.naturalnews.com/005778.html

"When you're shopping for groceries, watch out for the phrase "all natural" as claimed on the front of various product packages. It turns out that the phrase "all natural" can mean just about anything; it actually has no nutritional meaning whatsoever and isn't truly regulated by the FDA." This is something that many food researchers are coming across and although this is working its way out into the public, the companies are not changing the 'all natural' on their products. By definition, anything that is made from 'natural resources' can be considered natural and although a product may use natural ingredients, its the way that the product is produced is what is unnatural about the food. Although this may be the case, the producer of the product does not have to label how his product is made, therefore the product that you just purchased is 'all natural'.


Approvato, Ashley. Interview with Meghan Locantora; Demystifying Food Labels.

I conducted this interview with Meghan Locantora, Registered Dietician at ShopRite in Medford Township. Meghan’s role at ShopRite involves health counseling, in-store events one health, and public speaking to spread awareness. Meghan discussed how the main problem with people’s health is that they don’t know how to interpret food labels and what they’re eating. She talked about how it isn’t terrible to eat things like high fructose corn syrup or things with preservatives, but that they key to it all is in moderation. If you know how to read the labels then you can eat properly and in moderation. She also talked about how advertisements on packaging can confuse people into thinking what they’re thinking is healthy, when really it isn’t even FDA approved. Her interview was very beneficial to our project. We want to pull the rug out from under food labels. Her interview gives us an idea about where people are going wrong, and how it can be fixed.


Berry, Wendell. "The Pleasures of Eating." Education for Sustainability | Center for Ecoliteracy. 1990. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/pleasures-eating>.

"The pleasure of eating should be an extensive pleasure, not that of the mere gourmet."

In "The Pleasures of Eating" Wendell Berry discusses the "the politics, esthetics, and ethics of food." Berry talks about how Americans have become disassociated with food, and with this disassociation comes ignorance. While everyone loves food, evident by our obesity epidemic, we no longer have an appreciation for food. We accept the role of the consumer. We're clueless. We don't know anything about our food from where it comes from to the ingredients. We're more interested in what appeals to our taste buds or which packaging is nicest or whose product is cheapest. It's that age old saying, out of sight, out of mind. Berry talks about this problem as us being "passive, industrial eaters".
Berry also give a few tips on what you can do, such as preparing your own meals and growing a little garden. As Berry mentions in the first lines of his article, eating is an agricultural act, and it's only when we remember that can we really have pleasure in what we're eating.


<Certified Organic Label Guide. Organic.org. http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-201>.

This website is designed for consumers to read and understand the USDA significance of organic labels. The website wants to help consumers make sense of organic labeling, although it  can be difficult, and teach  many consumers who do not understand the significance of the USDA Organic label. Since October 21, 2002, guidelines have been created by the  United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) to assure consumers know the exact organic content of the food they buy. Products which are labeled100% Organic are foods made with 100% organic ingredients and may display the USDA Organic seal.Products labeled Organic are "products that contain at least 95–99% organic ingredients (by weight). The remaining ingredients are not available organically but have been approved by the NOP. These products may display the USDA Organic seal".The website also tells you to keep in mind that even if a producer is certified organic, the use of the USDA Organic label is voluntary. At the same time, not everyone goes through the rigorous process of becoming certified, especially smaller farming operations.


Cevallos, Marissa. Dieters Find 'Healthy' Food Labels Can Be Tricky. Los Angeles Times. <http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/21/news/la-heb-dieter-label-20110421>

Consumers who are looking for 'healthy' food may be more easily fooled than those who are not dieting. "In one of several similar experiments, researchers from the University of South Carolina found that dieters were more likely to rate a pasta dish as healthful if it was labeled as a salad." By changing the names of different food dishes, restaurants and food chains are easily able to shape the view on the consumers mind and trick them into thinking that the food is healthier than it really is. A group of dieters and non dieters were asked if a specific food was considered 'healthy' or not. By changing the name of the meal from "pasta" to " salad", more than half of the people interviewed felt that the "salad" was considered healthy while the same meal with the name "pasta" was proven to be termed unhealthy. This just goes to show that restaurants and products can change the name of their products in order to get more consumers buying their products without actually making the product any healthier than it was. 


Conan, Kerri. "the top 7 things that matter on the food label." Health (Time Inc. Health) 17, no. 9 (November 2003): 152-157. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 12, 2011).

Manufacturers use label lingo to attract consumers to their product. Although some packaging says certain things to get consumers to buy the products, others are only including the information because it’s the law. Recently the government began connecting certain foods to specific health benefits. They are permitted to do so as long as they have scientific evidence. When deciding if a food is actually healthy for you remember tips about nutrition. “Regard less of the words on the label, it's important to choose items that feature fresh, wholesome ingredients and balance total calories, fat, and nutrients”. (Conan). Health claims are not always about how to eat more. Researchers have been looking at the use of antibiotics and hormones in chickens, pigs and cattle and the affect they may have on humans. As of today, the United States does not require labels to specify if the animals were treated with either. One thing that is always placed on labels is allergens. Food items containing milk, peanuts, soy, wheat or eggs just include the ingredients on the food label.


Decoding Food Labels. CBS News. Youtube video. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yydk_vmhR4c>.

A woman named Katie Lee visits Harry Smith on the CBS News morning show and talks to him about the differences in food labels. She talks about the differences between "free range" and "free roaming" and many other confusing food labels. Being that the organic industry is booming very quickly, new terms are continuously introduced to consumers in order to persuade them into buying their products over another companies products. Katie Lee mentions that there are some vegetables that you should really buy organically because some of them hold all of the pesticides in them while other fruits and vegetables are able to release them. Vegetables such as carrots and lettuce should be bought organically because they will hold in all of the pesticides which will then be inserted into your body. Fruits such as pineapple can be bought without being organic because the outside of the fruit is so thick that it will not hold any of the pesticides and will not endanger your health.


Dinstel, Roxie. Interpreting Food Labels Isn't Always Easy. Fairbanks Daily News. 2001.

"One-third of all new food and beverage products launched in 2009 made “natural” claims, according to the Mintel Global New Products Database. This increase in “natural” foods has people believing these products are health foods and even has some believing it has magical powers." When we go to stores, how do we know what to shop for and which foods are actually "natural" and better for us? Roxie Dinstel talks about how reading food labels can get so confusing but if you just follow a few simple steps, buying good foods for your family can get easier. She mentions that ingredients are listed in descending order so as a consumer you can read the ingredients and realize how much of something is in your food. She also mentions how whole grains are better so be sure to look for foods that have whole grains or whole wheat in them. Finally, reading the nutrition label on food products can give you an idea of what it is them and you can easily compare products based on the nutrition label.


Donovan, Travis Walter. 9 Most Misleading Food Labels. Huffington Post. 2010. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/20/9-most-misleading-food-la_n_538868.html#s81241&title=Fiber>.

The nine most misleading food labels consist of probably the most sought out words that consumers looks for in products. The first is "All natural" which is not reliable at all. The FDA has vague rules about what can be identified as all natural so most products are labeled all natural so more consumers purchase them (which seems to have been been working out for them).  "All Natural" is not a label enforced strictly enough at this point to be trusted." Some may actually be better than other products but for the most part, don't give into all natural because majority of the companies are lying. O grams transfat is another misleading food label that needs to be carefully viewd. “0g Trans Fat” is highlighted on the front of many products by using bold imagery, sometimes with banners and exclamation points. This distraction draws attention from the fact that many of these products are extremely high in saturated fat, misleading the consumer into believing they are buying a healthy product. One very misleading label is "made with real fruit". Although some products are, not all are. If you go to buy a product that says that it is made with real fruit, in order to find out if that is true or not, look in the ingredients and see if the fruit of the product is in the first four items listed. If not, then the product does not have any real fruit in it. This website made a statement as to why they have produced this article: We believe in helping consumers make good choices about what they are eating, for themselves and the environment. Unfortunately, many food companies use labels that have little or no meaning to obscure the truth about what's ACTUALLY in our food." It's so nice to know that there are researches out there who are actually looking out for the health of consumers and not just trying to help the companies make money.


"FDA warns of food labeling violations." Health Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE48&SID=5&iPin=UPI-1-20100303-142419-bc-us-fda-warnings&SingleRecord=True>.

This news article discusses the issue of misleading labels. In 2010, the FDA was forced to warn seventeen food manufacturers for their labels violating federal laws. The labels were not following FDA regulations and were considered misleading and untruthful. The manufactuers were making claims on their products that were untrue. Some were using the word “healthy”, which was unauthorized. The FDA gives companies fifteen days to correct their labels.


FDA. Growing Number Of People Read Food Labels. Opposing Views. 2010.

More than half (54 percent) of consumers said they read a product's label the first time they buy the product. That's a 10 percent increase from 2002.
-- Among those who in 2008 reported they read the nutrition label the first time they buy a product
-- two-thirds use the label “often” to check how high or low a food is in calories and in substances such as salt, vitamins, and fat.
Throughout this article conducted by the FDA, it seems as though consumers are beginning to read food labels more often and sometimes even read them twice in order to figure out what exactly is in their foods. The article also shows that some 46% believe that every label they are reading is true while over 50% of consumers are undecided and are skeptical on whether to believe that everything they read on the food labels are accurate.


Fontaine, Sheryl I., and Susan Hunter. Collaborative Writing in Composition Studies. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2006. 1-38. Print.

Fontane and Hunter discuss collaborative writing. Since the time of Socrates and Aristotle, dialgue has always been the muse of knowledge. It makes a certain sense that collaboration would be a good method for writing, as you can delve deeper into issues when you can get new perspective and come to new conclusions. Fontane and Hunter break collaborative writing into two main types: hierarchal and dialogical. Hierarchical is the conventional way of collaborative writing. In hierarchal writing, a group has a set of roles. Each individual works on their part, and then the group comes together at the end to share their results. In dialogical writing, the group performs the roles together in an "ongoing conversation", where they are all apart of the experience. Although hierarchical may be considered more efficient, dialogical is a way for people to get more engaged in what they're doing. In sharing the experience, they not only build a sort of bond, but they can speak from experience, and not data.


Mayo Clinic. Organic Foods: Are they safer? More Nutritious?Mayo Clinic Website. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255>.

The staff from Mayo Clinic, a medical clinic that has advice online, introduces the differences between organic foods and those foods that are not considered organic. Their goal for you is to "Learn the difference between organic foods and their traditionally grown counterparts. Decide which is best for you, considering nutrition, quality, taste, cost and other factors."  The word "organic" refers to the way in which a particular food item has been grown and picked. "Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. Farmers who grow organic produce and meat don't use conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent livestock disease." The website provides a diagram which shows the differences between organic produce and conventional produce. Some of the differences include: organic farmers give animals organic feed and allow them access to the outdoors. Use preventive measures — such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing — to help minimize disease as opposed to conventional farmers who give animals antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth. It is also very important to look for the USDA symbol on any organic foods. This shows that the food item is a 100% organic as opposed to other food items that may be only partially organic. Although most people assume that organic means completely organic, they are wrong. In order for something to be 100% organic is different standards from a product just being considered "organic" 

• 100 percent organic. To use this phrase, products must be either completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.
• Organic. Products must be at least 95 percent organic to use this term.

Ostrander, Kimberly. Interview with Jennifer Boucher. Demystifing Food Labels

Kim Ostrander conducted this interview with Jennifer Boucher about food labels. She recently lost a large amount of weight due to reading labels. She talks about how she began her journey to a happy and healthy lifestyle, the ingredients she looks for on food labels and tips for individuals interested in beginning a reading labels diet. She also talks about her daily meals and the impact food has had on her.


Pollan, Michael. Introduction, Chapter 2. The Omnivore's Dilemma: a Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.

"Our bewilderment in the supermarket is no accident"
What should we eat? Michael Pollan's book aims to better clarify this question.
In the first part of his book, Pollan spends time with a farmer from Iowa, learning about the history of farming and corn. Pollan's book conveys a deep sense of disappointment not only in our food industry, but with Americans who simply ignore the truth about food. The truth is that food is becoming more of a scientific process, rather a natural one. There is a lot of politics involved in farming. The government plays a large role giving subsidies to farmers and such. Unfortunately, those with the upper hand, major companies, are taking advantage of everything they can from the land to the farmers to the animals to the consumers. They're putting the farmers out of business and threatening the organic-ness of food.


Ronzio, Robert. "food labeling." Health Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE48&SID=5&iPin=ENGHS0699&SingleRecord=True>.

The FDA requires that 90% of processed food provide consumers with information. There is also a requirement for nutrition labeling and nutrition lists for most food that is regulated by the FDA, which does not include food that is eaten right away (vendors, deli, airplane food… etc). In 1994, Nutritional Facts came into play, which made serving sizes a lot more accurate. “One of the most useful features is a listing of how much sodium, fat, cholesterol, fiber, sugar, and other nutrients as a percentage of the daily allotment is in a serving” (Ronzio). Name of product, name and address of manufacturer and/or packer and net contents must be included on Nutritional Facts.


Schneider, Steven. "Good, Clean, Fair: The Rhetoric of the Slow Food Movement." Pgs. 384-402 8 April 2011.Fontaine, Sheryl I., and Susan Hunter.

The Slow Food movement aims to "resolve the omnivore's dilemma" of what should we eat? The "new gastronomy" is in response to the fast food lifestyle and how globalization has changed the food industry, turning it into an "agribusiness" (pg10). The Slow Food movement is very intriguing because it is more than just the rejection of fast food and agribusiness, it's a lifestyle where you slow down and appreciate life. "Slow Food also demonstrates the importance of cultural movements and the increasing attention given to rhetorical action within them." (pg16). If we see how we eat, we see how that reflects our culture, and then we can begin to really make a change.


Schlosser, Eric. Introduction. Fast Food Nation: the Dark Side of the All-AmericanMeal. New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 2005. Print.

Fast Food Nation outlines the history and success of fast food.
Fast food is mainly an outcome of "social, economic, and technological factors" (pg 3). Schlosser focuses heavily on the McDonalds corporation and their strong influence on Americans and their economy. "Americans now spend more money on fast food than on higher education, personal computers, computer software, or new cars" (pg 2). The fast food industry has gained so much power because of it's roots in our culture. Americans need everything to happen five minutes ago, and fast food fits into that consumerist mentality.


What Does "All Natural" Really Mean. Fave Diets Blog.2009. <http://www.favedietsblog.com/what-does-all-natural-really-mean/>.

Writer Mindy, talks about how all natural does not really mean what it says. Many restaurants and companies are labeling their products "all natural" in hopes to sway consumers towards their products over others that do not have "all natural" written on them. "The FDA mandates that foods labeled “all natural” contain no artificial sweeteners or colors and no artificial flavors. The FDA defines natural flavors as anything derived “from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf.” However, all natural does not mean "organic". Although most companies are saying that their food is not "man made" it does not necessarily mean that there were no pesticides used while the product was growing. It is important to understand exactly what all natural consists of so consumers such as ourselves do not get sucked into the "all natural' phase if it is really not what we think it is.