The Health Blog

Many persons spend more money for food than for any other item. Today’s consumer faces great challenges in selecting food from the thousands of items available in any supermarket. Dietitians and nurses in their daily work and also in their neighborly contacts within their own communities are constantly asked about the comparative values of foods.

The tremendous rise in food costs in recent years means that the homemaker tries to be much more selective in her food marketing. She is anxious to know how one product compares with another not only in quantity per unit price but also in nutritive values. Many people are concerned about the additives in foods and want to know what protection they have that these additives are indeed safe and serve a useful purpose. Other individuals require modified diets. For example, someone who is allergic to wheat and eggs needs to be able to identify the products that are wheat-free and egg-free. Another person whose physician has prescribed a cholesterol-restricted fat-controlled diet is interested in the cholesterol and fat content of foods.

These and many other consumer problems are answered through knowledge of legislation that protects the quality of the food supply as well as the honesty of claims made for the product. The regulations for labeling will help consumers to make wise choices for nutritional values as well as ingredients. Finally, consumers need information concerning good choices within the several food groups.

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GENERAL HEALTH