Have you ever wondered why so many parents provide unhealthful food to their kids?
I laugh as my son makes ‘muscles’ while eating his eggs and banana. He’s got it: those foods are good for him.
But, then my son asks about chocolate. I try, “Well, cocoa ingredients are healthy, but the sugar is not, and the creme is in the middle.” He stares at me, befuddled. And when I look at the chocolate’s nutritional label for guidance, I almost cry: there’s a confusing table with over a dozen numbers.
A Super Eater celebrating his healthy breakfast.
Such confusion harms us. One-third of American children are overweight, and more than one in five teens (21%) are obese— a fourfold increase since 1980. And that obesity increases the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis.
Feeding its citizens well is a basic expectation of any society, and America fails.
What’s innovation in food labeling today? Food labeling expert Sarah Howarth helped me understand the new, UK stoplight labels: nutrition labels with colors as well as numbers.
Wait. Seriously? Stoplights are cutting-edge? Holy 1980s, Batman! Let’s put on a single, diamond-studded glove, grab our crotch, and dance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
Product labels steer buying choices and manufacturing decisions– and ‘red, yellow, green’ is no longer enough. Manufacturers can incorporate pink slime meat byproduct, lab-grown meat, and a bevy of technology designed (micro)ingredients. We do need intuitive labels, but such labels must also be dynamic and flexible for modern bio-chemistry to serve society.
Download a sheet outlining a more innovative approach to food labeling at my website, RodWallacePhD.com.
Such a labeling strategy for health requires collaborative leadership across the food industry. Yet, we will pay the price in damaged health if we fail.
Are labeling challenges degrading products or services dear to your heart?
Let me know your thoughts and comments by responding to this email.
Our society cannot just survive. For the sake of our children, it must thrive.
Rod
PS: I’m developing a new keynote speech, How to Integrate Social Responsibility into Your Business to Maximize Profit and Purpose. If you’re interested, hit reply and put “speaker info” in the subject line and I’ll send you my speaker information and a link to my demo reel. (My TEDx is a sample.)