Stew this — new analysis We found that only 35% of 10 grocery store websites provide nutrition facts and other relevant information online.
“The government clearly intends for people to be able to know certain things about their food,” said the study’s senior author and Tufts University professor. Sean Cash. “The way we regulate this in the United States is to put that information on the packaging. But that doesn’t carry over very well to the online space.”
Online grocery shopping has grown in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to , 20% of Americans shop for groceries online, and more than 80% have shopped for groceries online at some point in the past three years. Data from the US Department of Agriculture.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires comprehensive labeling on packaged foods, whether sold online or in stores, and online grocery retailers must provide that information. No need to share on your website.
Cash’s team includes: New York University School of Global Public Health and Food is medicine research instituteWe looked at product details posted by Amazon, FreshDirect, Hy-Vee, Safeway, ShopRite (via Instacart), Kroger, Meijer, Publix, Stop & Shop, and Walmart.
The sample includes 60 products, including Oreo Double Stuff Cookies, Kraft Single American Cheese Slices, Breyers Classic Natural Vanilla Ice Cream, Egglands Best Large White Eggs, and Jimmy Dean’s Fully Cooked Original Pork Sausage Links. I did.
The study authors reported that some online retailers did not provide nutrition facts, ingredient lists, or allergen information for these products, but marketing claims about the products were prominent.
“It’s much easier to find marketing trying to sell you food than the information our society has agreed to tell you about your food,” Cash says.
It was discovered that Published on Thursday Published in “Public Health Nutrition” magazine.
Researchers hope the FDA will take regulatory action. The agency issued Request information Last year, I attended to learn more about the content, format, and accuracy of food label information provided through online grocery shopping platforms.
Cash said Congress could pass new laws forcing retailers to make food labels accessible online, or the government could develop a public database of nutritional, ingredient and allergen information for packaged foods. He said there is.
In the meantime, Cash’s team recommends shoppers visit food manufacturers’ websites, where nutritional information and ingredient lists are likely to be found.
“Putting the burden on consumers is not what we should be doing,” Cash lamented.
