The FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration) never gave this guy a name when they created him to train Americans in how to read food labels, but I call him Mr. Nutrition Facts (with fond memories of that great Simpsons episode about “Mr. Plow”).

Mr. Nutrition Facts sports a brave smile, but the fact is, fewer and fewer people are paying attention to him anymore, according to a report released this week by the USDA [2]. The U.S. Department of Agriculture surveyed people in 1996 and again in 2006, and found that during this period, use of the Nutrition Facts panel decreased 3% and use of the ingredients list decreased 11%.

The survey also asked whether consumers paid attention to individual items – like fat, calories, and cholesterol – on the Nutrition Facts panel. Turns out the ONLY item that MORE consumers look for than did ten years ago, is fiber, which the study says “may be the result of … interest in whole grain foods…”

Hmmm. More people are interested in whole grain foods. But they don’t find the ingredients list helpful. Sounds like a job for … Super Stamp. Look for the Whole Grain Stamp, now on almost 2,100 products. It’s a quick and reliable way to find whole grains.

P.S. Remember that fiber is NOT a reliable indicator of whole grain content. Whole grains vary widely in percent of fiber (from about 3.5% to almost 30% in various grains) and a food might also have other non-grain fibers added. (Cindy – August 13, 2008)