Kids Dish

Dietitians advocate teaching children to read food labels instead of relying on their parents to do it for them.

The FDA partnered with the Cartoon Network earlier this year to launch a public education campaign encouraging children ages 9 to 13 — or tweens — to read the nutrition facts on food labels. An interactive Web page on the Cartoon Network’s Web site teaches kids to avoid foods high in fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar and consume more foods with potassium, fiber, iron and calcium. It offers information on serving sizes and calories (40 calories is low, 100 is moderate and 400 is high).

Here’s the thing. I think it’s great that nutritional programs are teaching children how to read food labels. It’s fantastic that kids are learning that hydrogenated fats are bad and that fiber is good. My main concern is that children need to be taught about ingredients. Kids need to learn that if they aren’t familiar with the ingredients on a food label they probably shouldn’t be eating it. If an ingredient is difficult to pronounce, you probably don’t want to eat it. Kids have to learn that just because a package is labeled “wheat bread” doesn’t mean it contains any whole grains. They need to understand that if corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils are in the first five ingredients the food isn’t good for you, even if it’s a whole wheat cracker.