The Fight over Food Labels

By launching a holy war against misleading claims, the government could clear up some of the confusion on supermarket shelves and help Americans become healthier consumers

Like many a red-blooded American, Olivia Vavreck of Minneapolis loves a good prime rib and a baked potato smothered in butter. But ever since she checked into the hospital with chest pains last year and learned that her cholesterol level was in the upper stratosphere, the 57-year-old office manager has tried to cut down on the fat in her diet. Easier said than done. Although the labels on every other product in the grocery store promised nutritional nirvana, Vavreck found herself floundering in quagmires of grease, salt, corn syrup and other dubious digestibles. "I thought I was doing pretty well because...

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