Chips are chips. They are not servings of vegetables.
When working with young people, I often give them an assignment to go on a health claim scavenger hunt. Its always fun to see what they bring in for show and tell. Products with words like “natural” that mean essentially nothing. Out and out disinformation such as “zero grams trans fat” when the ingredient list contains hydrogenated oils. Lies like “whole grains” splashed on the fronts of boxes of cereal.
Today I stumbled across this gem. Potato chips. Sweet potato chips. I’m A-OK with a small amount of sweet potato chips from time to time. But let’s tell the truth. They are CHIPS, not vegetables.
So how does a company that makes sweet potato chips get away with saying that their chips are a full serving of vegetables in every ounce? It comes down to a fundamental conflict of interest in the USDA. This government agency has a huge conflict of interest. Their job is to promote the food industry, while simultaneously policing it, is a messy arrangement.
Michael Pollan says if you’re concerned about your health, you should probably avoid food products that make health claims. I’m inclined to agree with him.
We need to be awake and aware when we head on into the supermarket, its quite a treacherous place. In every aisle lurks giant food corporations attempting to lure you into buying their product.
Perhaps it is time for all of us to Occupy the Supermarket and let these giant corporations that run our food system know that we are on to their games.
