The Ration

Typology photography applied to candy bars. We like the...

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 06:55:31 -0400

Typology photography applied to candy bars. We like the presentation.

Can you name them all?

scout:

nevver: Diary Queen

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:06:28 -0400

nevver:

Diary Queen

Our partnership with Pictory is up and running. EAT AT YOUR OWN...

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:36:46 -0400

Our partnership with Pictory is up and running.

EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Check it out at http://www.pictorymag.com/

Our Rethink the Food Label judge, Michael Pollan, is in the...

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:06:23 -0400

Our Rethink the Food Label judge, Michael Pollan, is in the mix.

washingtonpoststyle:

Your favorite working snacks?

The Ration is now up and running. Come check us out!!

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:03:07 -0400

The Ration is now up and running. Come check us out!!

RETHINK: Feedback

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:59:26 -0400

From: mnsunshine

Message: The big easy thing to read on those labels is a “score” arbitrarily decided by somebody else.

Please just give us all the numerical information and let us decide the “score”.

RETHINK: Feedback

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:54:37 -0400

From: Ronald Bourque

Message: On any label that lists “wheat flour,” it should note that it is white flour. I think that many consumers might assume that wheat flour is whole wheat flour. Presently, the food processing industry likes to use the term wheat flour, knowing very well that many consumers mistakenly assume it is whole wheat.

Years ago, white flour was merely listed as “white flour.” Everyone understood that white flour was made from wheat. If the ingredient were soy, rye, corn or oat flour, it would never be listed as white flour.

The term “wheat flour” is intended to mislead the consumer. When white flour is the ingredient, it should be designated “white flour,” not wheat flour.

RETHINK: Feedback

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:49:36 -0400

From: Suzanne Palmer

Message: What I’d *really* like to see on food labels is some sort of indicator of when they last changed the recipe — as someone with an atypical food allergy, I hate when I bring home a previously-safe food only to discover they’ve tinkered with it and made it deadly for me. A date? A version number? Something so that I can look at the packaging and know it’s changed or not recently and if I need to read through the ingredients again.

RETHINK: Feedback

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:17:00 -0400

From: Ken Mohammed
Message:

I think this is a great idea! I am concerned that only a couple sample labels have a place for Contains Genetically Modified, and I saw none that state Contains Nanotechnology.

RETHINK: Feedback

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:14:32 -0400

From: Leslie Kruth

Message: Thanks for taking this project on. While I appreciate your attempt to modify the label and make it more user friendly, please do not forget the diabetic who often completely relies on the CHO content to determine insulin dosing. When the gram numbers on the package get too small, we struggle to read them(and glasses are not always readily available!).

Percentages are nice, but not really very useful. Gylcemic index is an increasingly useful tool.

Keep up the good work.

I worked to improve school lunches for years —such a challenge!!

RETHINK: Feedback

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:08:00 -0400

From: Allyson Cesario

I teach nutrition ed to kids and they need to see:
4g=1tsp near the sugar and fat amounts.

I do like red/yellow/green on the macronutrients
I don’t like red/yellow/green as an overall judgement

RETHINK: Feedback

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:02:53 -0400

Message: Hey folks,

I do like where your minds are headed with these ideas but think you need to get an R.D. on board. I have a degree in Dietetics, but I have not finished my internship nor taken the R.D. exam yet, but I have a couple ideas.

Include some sort of warning or explanation for certain nutrients. Try to promote eating the good foods instead of denying the bad. People have an easier time of being told what to eat instead of being told ‘no’ all the time. Example, for fiber, make a note of its benefits and what it promotes. Outline the idea that USFAs are a good thing in moderation. Most people will never meet any elitist standards, but I think if they can get more of the good stuff (fiber is key), they will automatically be forced away from the bad. Please feel free to contact me with comments or questions.

Thank You and Good Luck,

David Havrilla

Rethink the Food Label Feedback and Response.

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:57:16 -0400

From: Sarah Logan

When I read the NY Times article about new labels being proposed I was thrilled, my excitement was short lived. Given that some of these labels might actually be considered, or some of their design aspects, I grew alarmed. Missing from all of these labels, and the current label we have now, is the requirement that grams of potassium be listed. Before my kidney transplant I had to count certain nutrients against a medically directed daily allowance, protein, sodium, and potassium being the main ones. Proteins and sodium are fairly simple once you learn the basics, however potassium is not. Unfortunately it is often used in food as a hidden flavorant, particularly in “low sodium” foods. High potassium levels pose a real medical risk for persons with kidney failure, one that can lead to an acute medical event, not the chronic damage that comes with sodium. Prior to my kidney transplant I was rabid about counting my daily grams of potassium, consulting the USDA nutrient data before meals etc. and I still landed in the ER with dangerously high potassium.

Any food label that does not include the grams for each labeled nutrient (including vitamins and minerals) per serving is a waste of space. The simpler the label is the better, most of the redesigned labels created visual noise, which distracted from essential information. I’m including the front runners in this critique.

I suppose this is more of plea than an inquiry, please include potassium and please keep nutrient grams. Percentages mean nothing when your diet is medically modified.

Sarah,
Thank you for your concern, we hope these designs might help inspire the FDA on their very well-researched journey to rethink the nutritional facts label.
I agree that there are some designs that are outlandish, fanciful, and in some cases a not helpful at all.
Even so, we are thrilled to see designers and the public passionate about this issue and pushing the boundaries of what a food label can be. We hope these designs will foster a dialogue that will lead to a better label.
Thank you for your feedback, and all my best,
Lily and the Rethink Team

Public Health Controversy

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:26:07 -0400

Public Health Controversy

colorful, wonderful nevver: Periodic Table of Heavy Metals

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:58:47 -0400

colorful, wonderful

nevver:

Periodic Table of Heavy Metals

Very Clever. nevver: Chris Dellavedova Shark Week

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:56:58 -0400

Very Clever.

nevver:

Chris Dellavedova
Shark Week

Rethink The Food Label announces the winners today and launches...

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:55:00 -0400

Rethink The Food Label announces the winners today and launches voting for the People’s Choice award.

VOTE NOW at WWW.RETHINKTHEFOODLABEL.COM

Prototype design by Lily Mihalik

The Cow says MOOOO. The Ration thinking about the MEAT WE EAT....

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 10:00:05 -0400

The Cow says MOOOO.

The Ration thinking about the MEAT WE EAT. More soon!

Cool graphic from the USDA. It’s throw back time at The...

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:32:20 -0400

Cool graphic from the USDA. It’s throw back time at The Ration.

loving this new take on traditional...

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:31:38 -0400

loving this new take on traditional landscapes.

prettyclever:

Monika Traikov