# Is this what America has come to? \[stupid warning labels\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 6, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718 "2023-11-06T22:07:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/101 "2023-11-14T13:38:40Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > It’s a see-through package, so there’s no doubt what’s inside. Are there people walking around so naive that they might think a package of hard boiled eggs wouldn’t contain eggs? I’m surprised the packaging didn’t say, “must remove shell before eating”, because there are people walking around who actually need to be told that. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/102 "2023-11-14T13:40:10Z")
Any hard boiled eggs I’ve seen for sale are already peeled, as that’s their main draw. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/103 "2023-11-14T13:52:00Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > No exceptions? Wonderful! We can save everyone a great deal of time, and on every product, no matter what kind, print a warning: “Product may contain: ”. > > No one has to worry about accidentally missing an allergen since they’re all there. In fact, we don’t have to bother with measuring allergen content since the warning labels are all the same. What a savings! That sounds like wanting to destroy this village to save it. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/104 "2023-11-14T16:12:49Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > And, rather that decide on a case-by-case basis when it’s so obvious as to be unnecessary, it’s easier to just always follow those regulations. This is why there’s a regulation stating that the California DMV can issue handicapped placards or license plates without a doctor’s certification letter if the person requesting the placard/license plate is obviously missing a limb. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/105 "2023-11-14T18:33:00Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > No exceptions? C’mon. That’s a ridiculous and counterfactual interpretation of “net positive”. Warnings lie on a spectrum from unnecessary to live-saving. Dismissing them wholesale is unreasonable at best and is also dismissive of the people who demand upon them. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/106 "2023-11-14T19:21:19Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > What the hell is a frozen pretzel? Color me baffled. Here is a description on how to make them right in German (of course!). The pictures are enough if you don’t understand German. Now guess what I am craving for. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > SuperPretzel–a brand of boxed, frozen soft pretzels–was invented in 1971. I don’t know how long they have been available for sale in the country that invented them. Probably since there are freezers for sale for the general public. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Ya nuke 'em for 40 seconds. You can do better than that. Really. And it is worth it, even if it takes longer. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/107 "2023-11-14T20:12:48Z")
NM…😊 Damnit discourse ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/108 "2023-11-14T20:30:33Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > We can save everyone a great deal of time, and on every product, no matter what kind, print a warning: “Product may contain: ”. Or, we can not change anything, and have a great many useful warning labels with a few useless ones mixed in that genuinely do no harm to anyone. The plus side of that is people get to say “Hyuk! Hyuk! Hyuk! This here jar of peanut butter says ‘may contain peanuts’ on it, people are so dumb!” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/109 "2023-11-14T20:51:44Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Dismissing them wholesale is unreasonable at best and is also dismissive of the people who demand upon them. I didn’t dismiss them wholesale. I think they are, probably, a net positive in their current state. That doesn’t mean I think they aren’t stupid in many cases or that I should accept the status quo. We should think hard about whether the particular warnings that show up are productive or not. Not all are. While my post was hyperbole when it comes to food warnings, it is not exaggerated at all as compared to Proposition 65 warnings. Among many other things, every parking garage in the state has a Prop 65 warning somewhere, telling me that it contains chemicals known by the state to cause cancer. The chemicals in question are not listed, but I can look them up: there are over 900 possibilities. Nor does it tell me what in the parking garage contains these chemicals. The building itself? Something in the air? Whatever is used to clean it? Maybe just the cars themselves. While Prop 65 itself wasn’t entirely stupid, the warning label aspect absolutely is. Absolutely no one pays any attention to the labels except to mock them. They are totally useless _for their intended purpose_, regardless of one’s position on whether one should worry about them in the first place. So yes, I’ll continue to mock warnings in other cases that edge in this direction, since I know it isn’t purely hypothetical. People that believe _warnings are useful_ should mock stupid warnings the most, since they _take away_ the utility of actually informative ones (which was the whole point of my hyperbole). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/110 "2023-11-14T20:54:57Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > that genuinely do no harm to anyone If useless ones genuinely do no harm to anyone, then there is no limit to how many we can add on top of the current ones. Up to the point where _every_ product contains a warning for _every_ possible allergen. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/111 "2023-11-14T21:01:06Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > [These](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8b1121_e4cb76553c1645979bec0c39b4792a2f~mv2.png) are my favorite eggs. > . > The ingredients list is: > Sugar, **MILK** , glucose syrup, cocoa butter, invert sugar syrup, whey powder (from **MILK** ), cocoa mass, vegetable fats (palm, shea), emulsifier (E442), dried **EGG** white, flavourings, colour (paprika extract). (sic - not sure why MILK & EGG are capitalized & bold) > > I also don’t know if people with egg allergies have issue with dried **EGG** white or since they don’t contain yolks the majority of allergic people won’t have any issue. ⁢ Because eggs and milk are on the list of eight (?) most common allergens, and these are required to be made more clear. Most often, you see them at the end of the ingredients lists, saying “This product contains **MILK** , **EGGS** ”, along with “This product may contain traces of” or “This product made on equipment that processes” or similar. The labels are useful. The part where companies would rather add a problematic ingredient rather than test their product for traces of that ingredient less so. For me personally, I have to avoid even traces of wheat, but traces of milk are generally fine. Oh, and as for **EGG** allergies: while an egg white allergy is indeed the most common form, egg yolk allergies are also possible. My sister has them. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/112 "2023-11-14T21:21:58Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > If useless ones genuinely do no harm to anyone, then there is no limit to how many we can add on top of the current ones. That’s not what I said. I said the current system has a great many useful ones and **a few** useless ones that do no harm. It is important to curate warning labels so that you don’t expand them to the point of uselessness, while also avoiding restricting their use to the point where people at risk don’t get the warnings they need. The occasional Prop 65 warning that can be ignored, and the **MILK** warnings on a carton of milk are the very small price we pay to make sure people with debilitating food allergies can effectively and conveniently figure out if the food they’re buying will make them sick. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/113 "2023-11-14T21:34:25Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I said the current system has a great many useful ones and **a few** useless ones that do no harm. You’re engaging in status quo bias. There’s no reason to think that that the current set of useless warnings are anything special. If there’s nothing special about them, then there’s no justification to say that _those_ have precisely zero cost, while some _other_ arbitrary set has non-zero cost. Unless you can say why one is different than the other, then either they all have zero cost or they all have non-zero cost. If you want to say that the current set of useless warnings have a _small_ cost (but not zero), and that cost is overwhelmed by the utility of the useful warnings, I won’t dispute that at all. But it still means we should strive to eliminate the useless ones. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/114 "2023-11-14T21:49:16Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > There’s no reason to think that that the current set of useless warnings are anything special. Other than the fact that the current system has been developed over decades including input from interested parties on both sides of the issue, while your suggestion is a throwaway “gotcha” concept that is specifically designed to make sure allergic people are placed under constant risk of anaphylaxis, in order to prove a point. Putting “may contain peanuts” on a bag of peanuts is such a low cost act, that letting food companies avoid putting the warning on their bags of peanuts (because it’s useless) will cost those companies more money than having a blanket peanut warning on all products that contain peanuts. Because an optional warning, one that depends on the exact nature of the product, means multiple levels of management (and the lawyers) have to analyze the product to see if meets the “useless warning” threshold. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/115 "2023-11-14T21:56:01Z")
Well the reason for “may contain nuts” for M&MS hersheys etc. is their factory has millions of things that get made and sometimes the peanuts and almonds get in things its not supposed to Ior it gets mislabed etc ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/116 "2023-11-14T22:00:15Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > The occasional Prop 65 warning that can be ignored, - The problem is the potential carcinogens are not identified so there’s no way to know how to avoid or minimize exposure. May as well put the sign on the inside of your front door. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/117 "2023-11-14T22:02:04Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Putting “may contain peanuts” on a bag of peanuts is such a low cost act Is it _low_ cost, or _no_ cost? Because you said it was _no_ cost earlier (or rather, no harm, but a cost is a kind of harm). > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > that letting food companies avoid putting the warning on their bags of peanuts (because it’s useless) will cost those companies more money than having a blanket peanut warning on all products that contain peanuts. The regulations (that I cited above) _don’t_ actually require the warning, assuming the ingredient list is present. Peanuts are in the ingredient list (and not hidden behind some other ingredient), so there’s no need to have an additional warning spelling it out. The useless warnings are due to the manufacturer in this case. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/118 "2023-11-15T12:03:18Z")
I was referring to cartons of uncooked eggs. Sorry, I kind of changed lanes without signaling. LOL ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/119 "2023-11-15T12:18:26Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I wrote the first book on lactose intolerance That is truly awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718/120 "2023-11-15T13:29:20Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Is it _low_ cost, or _no_ cost? Because you said it was _no_ cost earlier (or rather, no harm, but a cost is a kind of harm). Would “negligible” work for you? The incremental cost of adding one line of text to your packaging (that is already covered in print and images) is the cost of the ink, presuming of course that you replace that line of text with white space instead of expanding the other text to fill the area. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-what-america-has-come-to-stupid-warning-labels/992718.md?page=7)