The label can also help you figure out exactly what is meant by the front of the packaging. Take Swedish Fish, for example. I love them, one of my favorite candies since ever. The bag of them that I just finished says on the front, "A Fat Free Food."Let's think about that for minute. What does food mean, in this case? The Label, which we are generally recommend to read, tells us that it is 140 calories per serving of 19 fish. It's pretty much all sugar. In fact, it says "Not a significant source of calories from fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron." I think this could also be stated as "Not a significant source of any real nutrition."
And yet they call it food. In my mind, food is something I would eat for a meal, and consider myself satisfied and at least remotely healthy when done (yes this means much of "fast food" also isn't food, by this definition. I admit it doesn't stop me from eating it, though). Thus, my beloved swedish fish is candy, not food. At least not to my mind. The Label is basically telling me that if I make a major diet out of this stuff, the results will not be beneficial to my health.
So I get a real kick that in highlight on the front it says it's a fat free food. The Label supports the fat free part at least, notice all the fats it wants to make clear are not in the "food." So I guess maybe this is a food because it has no fat? Not sure.
In any case, the stuff tastes good. Hmmm. Maybe I should tell my doctor to start a new diet fad: Swedish Fish! They are, after all, fat free food! And surely the company couldn't call them food if you shouldn't actually make them part of your dinner, right?
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