Mars, Kraft and Other Food Makers Launch Nutrition-Labeling Offensive

As pressure grows on the FDA to toughen up its rules on nutritional labeling, food makers are responding with a slew of new and competing labeling schemes, each claiming to be the definitive version of what nutrition labeling should be.

Mars announced last week that it will bring the European "Guideline Daily Allowance" model to the U.S. for the first time. The new "what's inside" label will spell out -- in big, cartoonish text on the front of the package -- the calories and fat, sugar and sodium content of that candy bar you're eating.

Meanwhile, supermarkets Price Chopper and Hy-Vee have implemented the NuVal scoring system, which gives foods a number value between one and 100 based on the nutritional content. "Many others" are planning to switch to the system, according to the NuVal website, though some critics are skeptical of the simplistic ratings.

And today, a coalition of companies -- including Kraft, General Mills, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Unilever, Kellogg and ConAgra -- is unveiling a set of new "SmartChoices" guidelines. As in the GDA model, information like fat and total calories will appear on the front of the package -- but there will also be a green check mark on foods meeting certain health criteria. That the check mark, however, won't mean "healthy" so much as "less unhealthy than the alternatives." For example, sugar-free Jell-O and Diet Coke will both qualify.

The UK Food Standards Agency recommends a "traffic light" system, which uses red, yellow or green labels to denote unhealthy to healthy levels of fat, sugar and sodium. But companies have been reluctant to adopt it voluntarily; no one wants to put red danger labels on their junk food.

Mars actually launched a new website on nutrition along with its new label. The introduction page talks about "fitting your favorite Mars snacks and foods into your healthy lifestyle," amidst an inviting ring of logos from products like M&Ms, Snickers, and Skittles.

Is there a term equivalent to "greenwash" for trying to make junk food look healthy? Maybe there should be.