By Dara O'Rourke, November 17, 2009 · Posted under Health Issues

Turkeys – the food of American tradition and holiday memories – get a 3.8 (out of 10) on the GoodGuide health score?!?! . Hard to believe. And I have to admit, people around the GoodGuide office were surprised as well by the low ratings many top-selling turkeys received in our food rating system.

In case you haven’t perused our ratings methodology recently, let me explain how we rate food products. GoodGuide’s health rating begins with a nutrition assessment called the “Ratio of Recommended to Restricted nutrients” (RRR). Put simply, this method calculates the ratio of “good” to “bad” nutrients. Recommended nutrients include: protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, and fiber. Nutrients to minimize include: calories, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, and sodium. The RRR score is then adjusted based on a set of thresholds and recommended values for each nutrient.

Meats don’t rate all that well in our nutritional assessment, or in the assessment of most nutritionists. For example, the NuVal nutrition scoring system out of Yale University gives turkey with skin a 31 out of 100. This is one of the lowest rated meats, only slightly above baby back ribs!

While turkey does provide an affordable source of protein—and many happy memories at Thanksgiving—it also contains saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Americans in general already get enough (or too much) protein. So turkey ends up with more restricted than recommended nutrients.

Read more...

Comments (1)

By Dara O'Rourke, November 17, 2009 · Posted under GoodGuide Happenings

We’ve now made it even easier to find the products rated by GoodGuide through our new partnership with Alice.com. Alice.com is a young company which has generated a lot of buzz thanks to its innovative way of helping consumers purchase essential household items. We share a common goal of giving consumers the option to make smarter shopping decisions - so both sides jumped at the chance to partner.

When you are shopping on Alice.com, you’ll now see GoodGuide product ratings next to a product, providing you with as much information as possible before purchasing. When you’re researching on GoodGuide, we also provide links to Alice.com so you can buy the products you’re interested in and have them delivered to your home with no shipping costs.

This partnership is another step in our journey to put GoodGuide ratings into the hands of consumers everywhere they are shopping: whether they are on GoodGuide, partner websites, our award-winning iPhone application, or simply browsing the aisles of grocery stores. Our goal is to make sure you can access GoodGuide information wherever and whenever you want so you can choose better products for your family.

Alice.com joins TheFind and a growing number of sites who support GoodGuide’s transparent, science-based ratings system to communicate the health, environmental, and social impacts of products and companies to their users

Comments (1)

By Alastair Iles, November 16, 2009 · Posted under Environmental Issues, Health Issues

We recently covered the discovery by British scientists that at least one nanomaterial may affect human cells at a distance. This is only one of the many human health and environmental issues associated with nanotechnology. Unfortunately, some companies are rushing to use nanotechnology without screening it for risks to human health.

Now, the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Nanotechnology Project has released a new application for the iPhone or iPod Touch: findNano. This app allows consumers to look up the Inventory with their phone to see if the product they’re looking at may have nanotechnology. Often, the ingredient list and the package doesn’t mention the presence of nanomaterials, but the Woodrow Wilson Center has gathered data from what manufacturers say about their products. Currently, the inventory lists over 1000 products, with more showing up each week.

Consumers also now have the ability to snap a picture of a product that they think has nanotechnology and send it to the Woodrow Wilson Center for investigation. We’re particularly excited by this innovation, since it gives consumers the power to ask questions of companies. This is an example of making product ingredients more transparent, as the GoodGuide Transparency Manifesto urges.

Professor Alastair Iles is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Iles studies science, technology, and environment, with a focus on how technologies – ranging from chemistry, energy systems, environmental health monitoring, to information technology - affect society and the environment. He received his PhD in Environmental Law and Policy from Harvard University, and previously studied Law at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Comments

By Alastair Iles, November 09, 2009

Nanotechnology is increasingly in the news, both for the benefits that it could bring – and for the very uncertain risks it could pose to our health.

Last week, British university researchers reported a startling result from a toxicology experiment. They exposed human cells to nano-scale cobalt-chromium and used a human cell barrier of 4 cells thick to protect the cells. To their surprise, the metal seemed to interfere with the DNA inside the cells, by sending chemical signals through the barrier.

A medical law expert, Professor Thomas Faunce said,

What [this latest research is] saying is once nanoparticles are in the body they have a capacity to cause toxicological effects at a distance.”

This study has been criticized by other leading experts on nano toxicity for using artificially high exposures to the metal, and not using actual human organs. Still, the bottom line is that nanotechnology may have very unexpected effects on human bodies, and scientists have much to learn about these effects. We just don’t know at this time whether the “action at a distance” effect might be important in our bodies.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of companies don’t disclose whether their products feature nanotechnology. Yet, the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Nanotechnology Inventory just went past 1000 products that claim to have nano-particles in them. Many sunscreen products have nano-titanium dioxide, and nano-silver is increasingly used as an anti-microbial in clothes such as underwear. Companies should be honest about what’s in their products, so that we can decide whether we want to take the risk.

Professor Alastair Iles is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Iles studies science, technology, and environment, with a focus on how technologies – ranging from chemistry, energy systems, environmental health monitoring, to information technology - affect society and the environment. He received his PhD in Environmental Law and Policy from Harvard University, and previously studied Law at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Comments (1)

By Dara O'Rourke, November 05, 2009

The fight over food labels, health claims, and industry marketing is heating up.

Last week, the food industry voluntarily suspended the Smart Choices program after the FDA announced they would be looking into the program.

And today, Kellogg’s announced that they are discontinuing labeling cereals such as Cocoa Crispies and Rice Crispies as helping to “support your child’s immunity”, after the San Francisco city attorney sent a letter to the company asking them to back up these immunity claims.

Read more...

Comments (1)