A few months ago, I wrote about the new Smart Choices nutrition label and how it’s not such a smart choice for consumers. The goal of the new nutrition label was to provide easy-to-understand, at-a-glance guidance for consumers who want to make better choices in the grocery aisle.
My opinion was—and still is—that consumers know a “smart” choice from a poor one when it comes to food. The average person simply prefers the flavor and convenience of the less healthful choices.
However, I missed the real story about the label, but the Food and Drug Administration didn’t.
In late October, the FDA stated the label is misleading. The thinking is: when Froot Loops, a highly processed, sugar-filled cereal, meets the nutrition requirements of the Smart Choices Label there’s something wrong with label requirements.
It seems food manufacturers followed the letter of the label—but not the spirit.
According to news stories regarding the FDA statement, the Smart Choice’s nutrition standards are too lenient. Critics say the program is an attempt by food companies to bill processed foods as nutritious.
As a result, food manufacturers behind the label have “postponed” active support of the label while the FDA investigates labeling issues. And Kraft has said it will phase out usage of the label.
So what is the lesson here? Simply: Don’t put a pig in a dress.
Not every brand is healthful—and our advice to marketers is to not “stretch brands” to fit into a category they do not belong in. Consumers won’t be fooled and neither will the FDA.