On Tuesday the Walmart Corporation, serving more than 200 million customers per week, announced a new food-labeling program as a part of their “healthier food initiative” which began in 2011 as a commitment to provide healthier foods to their consumers while staying true to their corporate slogan, “Save Money. Live Better.” The “Great For You” program focuses on a single and easily recognizable green icon printed on food labels with the purpose to direct the consumer to healthier choices in the grocery aisle.
It sounds like a great way to help consumers quickly find healthier food items without the added time of comparing the nutritional values of individual products mid-aisle, but you may be thinking to yourself, “What criteria is Walmart using for this label project and where did the research originate?” I had these exact questions myself. In response to a Congressional directive, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and the Food and Drug Administration were tasked to research the science behind front-of-package (FOP) labeling as well as consumer understanding and use of these labels. These groups then turned to the independent Institute of Medicine. The IOM released their findings in a two-phased report in October 2010 and 2011.
Though the FDA has not concluded their review of the report, Walmart consulted the report’s research and recommendations along with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and nutrition professionals to form the standards for the “Great For You” program. The program includes two criteria that all food items must meet: 1) single-ingredient foods including fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean meats, nuts, and seeds, and 2) items with reduced fat (total, trans, and saturated), sodium, as well as added sugars. Foods that made the cut for the icon include packaged fresh and canned fruits and vegetables, eggs, nonfat milk, lean meat, reduced-fat peanut butter, brown rice, and 100% juice. Currently the icons are only on Great Value and Marketside products, both of which are Walmart’s private labels. The criteria are strict and promote healthy eating habits, though I would say there is always room for expansion to encourage the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Though it remains unknown why Walmart chose to move forward with their program before official feedback from the FDA on the IOM’s report has been released, this program displays great initiative by private business to provide their consumers with help to identify healthy choices amongst the riffraff in the sea of products with “better for you” FOP labeling that are actually not healthy at all. An example includes such items as highly processed granola bars with a label on the front of the box highlighting the whole grains used, but omitting to note the high sugar content or potential GMO product also included.
The good news is private business is taking steps to provide healthier food to their consumers and while the effects of this program on consumer purchasing and overall health is yet to be seen, the promotion of healthier food choices is admirable. Another part of Walmart’s initiative included the commitment to save their customers $1 billion in fresh fruits and vegetables, a goal they have already exceeded. Yet these efforts beg the question, “What sacrifices in environment protection and sustainability are being made to further lower the cost of fresh produce?” Pesticides, herbicides, GMOs, and transportation fuel are only the beginning of my concerns
The government has a responsibility to do their part to reduce the operating costs for organic and sustainable farmers. In 2004, the government gave approximately $2.8 billion in corn subsidies alone, many of which use GMO practices. Now is the time change the recipients of these subsidies so quality, organic, locally and sustainably grown produce is more available to all consumers regardless of the size of their pocketbook.
