Am I overreacting to this labelling inaccuracy?

In My Humble Opinion
1

My 5-year-old has some dietary sensitivities that prevent her from eating anything with most artificial additives, like MSG, some preservatives, artificial flavours and colours. We were recently excited to find a box of popsicles that claimed on the outer box to be all natural, but on opening the box found the popsicles themselves individually wrapped in wrappers listing artificial flavour and colour as ingredients.

I contacted the company, and they said the outer box was correct, that they’re switching to all-natural and were just using up some old wrappers. Now, part of me is thrilled that they are going natural, as obviously this works well for my family, and also because it’s a trend I’m fond of in general.

However, most of me is absolutely pissed. Pissed that I had to take a popsicle away from a little kid because I didn’t know what was in it, pissed that I can’t trust labelling if crap like this goes on, and pissed that they are so cavalier about it.

But am I overreacting here? I mean, here they are in good faith trying to make a good move in their company, which must cost a ton, and if they can save a few bucks using old wrappers, well, that saves me in the long run, right? But then, what’s the point of including ingredient lists at all if you think it’s ok, even temporarily, to provide contradictory information?

So I don’t know, am I upset because my poor kid, who has to pass on so, so many treats due to her restrictions, was heartbroken at losing her popsicle? (They were purchased for a family get-together, so the other kids did eat them, and she had to go without), or is this a pretty crappy thing for this company to be doing?

2

I think it’s a pretty crappy (and stupid) thing for the company to do. Parents of kids with food issues need to be able to trust the labels. If they contradict themselves how can you trust them?

3

Well, after working in the manufacturing business (albeit high-tech) this kind of thing is called a “phase-in ECO.” (Engineering Change Order)

It’s completely common to use up existing inventory until the full change order is implemented.

This is a very common manufacturing practice.

4

Well what does “all natural” mean exactly? That is one of those ambiguous, nice-sounding words that doesn’t really mean jack-squat when it comes down to it. I bet that popsicle was “clinically proven” to be “all natural”. :rolleyes:

5

The FDA might want to hear about this. If a company is careless about accurate labeling in one direction, who’s to say they won’t be just as careless in another direction.

6

I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve always wondered what does food sensitivity mean exactly? What happens to her if she eats any of those things?

7

Can’t both be true?

Because I think it is a crappy thing for the company to do, but I also think that it’s just one of a million inconveniences that you will have to put up with as you try to raise your child without exposing her to the stuff she’s sensistive to. And as such, if you react too strongly to each and every one, you’ll burn yourself out before she becomes old enough (mature enough) to watch out for herself.

Dietary sensitivities suck for the people who have them. And for their loved ones too–figuring out a restaurant for dinner with friends for my parents was easy. Figuring out a plan B for dessert, impossible, since one friend is lactose and gluten intolerant, and thus can’t have ice cream, frozen yogurt, or many baked goods.

I don’t think you are over-reacting, but I do think that expecting anything to change from a major company is futile.

And you’d better brace yourself for more of these situations in the future.

8

According to the ingredient list on the box, it meant that they contained fruit juice, sugar, and water. Sure, the fruit was probably grown using pesticides, and who knows how the sugar was processed or what’s in the water, but it’s a lot more natural than specifically using chemicals to make it look and taste a certain way.

9

Can you elaborate? Immean, like I said in my OP, I get the cost savings in using up old wrappers before transitionin to the new, but like I said, if you give me two contradictory lists of ingredients, how do I know which one is true, therefore what’s the point in including ingredient lists at all? Would it be ridiculously prohibitive to put a little insert in the box containing the old wrappers with a note confirming which is right? (a genuine question)

10

I agree completely that having inconsistencies with the packaging is unacceptable. I am just making a larger point about the lack of any true meaning of the term “all natural”.

11

She could contact the FDA but honestly the FDA only cares about under labeling. Meaning if the product contained any of the ingredients that were not declared on the label the FDA would have an issue. The fact that the product is over labeled on potential sensitivities is generally ok with the FDA because it poses no issue to the consumer. (except an unhappy child:()

12

It would be cost prohibitive because it would require new machinery in the plant which is a capital investment for them. Manufacturing plants run on a very tight margin. That is not to say what they did was right, it was a business desicion. They ran the risk of alienating you knowing you would be in a minority. Sorry this happened to your little girl.

13

This is a really good point. We do try to take a hey, that’s life attitude about most things, maybe why I’m questioning my uncharacteristically strong reaction to this one. But on the other hand, I guess it is why I’m mad. We do have to make so many concessions and have so many inconveniences and disappointments, that not even being able to rely on labels to help us in those decisions is frustrating. Shouldn’t a company have a certain responsibility to merely provide me with accurate information I can use? Like runner pat and Rhiannonsay, it makes me distrust everything they say and do.

14

In the United States,

FDA definition of “natural”: “ingredients extracted directly from plants or animal products as opposed to being produced synthetically.”

USDA definition of “natural”: “must not contain any artificial flavoring, color ingredients, chemical preservatives, or artificial or synthetic ingredients, and are only minimally processed.”

Basically the “natural” label indicates an absence of certain categories–but those have to be indicated as such in the ingredient list anyway, so the label isn’t giving you more information.

In practice, the present definitions still admit certain kinds of processing (for example, solvent extraction of cooking oils) which themselves create chemical compounds not found in the original plant sources, but not synthesized or added as such.

“Natural” definitely does not mean organic.

15

There is no clear definition for organic either. Processed food labeled organic must meet certain guidelines but it does not ensure that you are buying what you think you are buying. Natural and Organic are two claims that are being regulated on an ad hoc basis by the FDA and skirted by manufacturers like mad.

16

“Natural foods” and “all natural foods” are widely used terms in food labeling and marketing with a variety of definitions, some of which are vague. The term is assumed to imply foods that are minimally processed and do not contain manufactured ingredients, but the lack of standards in some jurisdictions means that the term assures nothing. The term “organic” has similar implications and has an established legal definition in many countries and an international standard. In some places, the term “natural” is defined and enforced. In others, such as the United States, it has no meaning."

This quote is from the link I posted. I don’t know where you found the definitions you have posted, where’s the cite for that?

17

“In the United States, neither the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has rules for “natural.” The FDA explicitly discourages the food industry from using the term.[10] The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits labeling that is false or misleading, but does not give any specifics. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has a standard for organic food.[11]

Because there is no legal meaning for natural foods, food manufacturers can include ingredients that may not be considered natural by some consumers."

Again, from the Wikipedia link…

18

Yes, the term ‘natural’ or ‘all natural’ has no real meaning as applied to food in the US. Even ‘organic’ is problematic since several chemicals are OMRI certified for use in organic fertilizer, such as potassium sulfate.

All natural is a just a marketing term and has no defined meaning, so good luck contacting the FDA.

19

I’m happy to answer! I know this will cause eye-rolling in some, but in my daughter’s case, it’s a behavioural thing. She has a couple of developmental pediatricians working on what may be going on with her, but until we figure out what the underlying problem is, extensive testing and tracking has determined without doubt that certain chemicals exacerbate certain symptoms. I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but the reality is that a bite or two of the wrong food can turn her from a cheerful, pleasant, smart, funny kid who enjoys life into a completely different person for up to two weeks. She becomes miserable, irritable, uninterested in her usual activities, and explosive to the extent that she has been sent home from kindergarten for days at a time, been expelled from ballet and skating lessons, and basically can’t fully function normally for those two weeks.

Like I said, I know some will roll their eyes - another parent making excuses for their little brat’s behaviour/oh come on all kids have tantrums/you just need to be more consistent-flexible-strict-try this discipline technique-read this book. Trust me, we’ve heard it all, but once people see the way she is normally and the complete, extreme change, they don’t question our following the doctor’s advice to avoid the chemicals. :). Sorry if I seem too defensive, I’m working on that! I know your question wasn’t meant as judgmental and I really am happy to share. I bet there are more kids out there who are affected by this stuff but not to the extreme where it’s identified, which is probabpy unfortunate.

And to be honest, now that we do avoid the junk, we notice we feel better too, and most of it tastes better, so for us it has also become a positive lifestyle change that just kind of makes sense.

20

Just a couple clarifications regarding the (perfectly interesting!) “all-natural” convo going on - the box didn’t say “all-natural”, that was just my (poor, as I am aware of many of the points being raised regarding the term) word choice meant simply to indicate that when we read the ingredient list, everything listed was something we consider “natural” as opposed to “artificial”. Sorry if I caused confusion with that. Carry on!

Oh, and I am in Canada where some (though not all) of the regulations are different than in the States.