Reading Food Labels Can Help Maintain Inexpensive Health Insurance

The Food and Drug Administration has been weighing in on an emerging controversy that could affect the ability of some people to acquire inexpensive health insurance in the long term.

At issue is a trend where some food manufacturing companies have been placing labels on their products stating or implying that they are healthy. However, some nutrition advocates have been dismayed to see products like heavily sugared cereals end up with such labels, raising doubts about the validity of such claims.

With that in mind, the FDA warned the industry in a recent letter that current federal laws "prohibit false or misleading claims and restrict nutrient content claims to those defined in FDA regulations."

The FDA also noted that the labels on the front of packages claiming that certain products are healthy make it less likely that people will actually take the time to read the actual nutritional information contained on the back.

Given the health problems caused by obesity, heart disease and diabetes, taking the time to read and understand real nutritional labels can be a big step towards maintaining inexpensive health insurance.