Froot Loops are good for you.  See, they’re full of froot!

Great article in the NYT about the new “Smart Choices” food program.  The “Smart Choices” program is an industry-led effort to help consumers buy more junk food make “better choices.”  So why Froot Loops?  According to the article,

Froot Loops qualifies for the label because it meets standards set by the Smart Choices Program for fiber and Vitamins A and C, and because it does not exceed limits on fat, sodium and sugar. It contains the maximum amount of sugar allowed under the program for cereals, 12 grams per serving, which in the case of Froot Loops is 41 percent of the product, measured by weight. That is more sugar than in many popular brands of cookie.

It’s nice that the food industry is noticing that consumers are turned off by food that is blatantly bad for you.  But it’s too bad they’ve created a healthy food credentialing program that has such loose standards it’s laughable.  According to Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, “You could start out with some sawdust, add calcium or Vitamin A and meet the criteria.”  He was originally on the panel to decide the criteria for the program until he quit in disgust.

I suppose Froot Loops is a better choice than, say, lard and sugar mixed together without added vitamins.  But really, if you see a food sporting this logo, what you really know is that you are looking at a food made by a major food company that pays big money to guide your food choices to their nutitionally poor products.

In the meantime, I’m going to crush up a multivitamin and put it into my tub of frosting to make it a smart choice. Nom nom nom!