Food labels are supposed to help consumers make educated food choices. But while food labels provide some important nutrient content information and a list of ingredients, food labels fail to provide valuable information for consumers who really want to know the whole story of the food they buy.

With globalization the source of food products, especially processed or packaged foods, is becoming more blurry as even food products manufactured in the U.S. are often made with a cocktail of ingredients and additives produced in various parts of the world. For example, according to the article in the link above, Crest toothpaste uses additives from China and Finland; Sara Lee bread uses honey and vitamin supplements from China; and other "American" products are loaded with ingredients of un-tested quality from all around the world.

The problem is that for health-conscious consumers who are also eco-minded and want full disclosure, current labeling laws aren't good enough. Manufacturers are not required to disclose the source of the ingredients or where they were grown. More often than not, food products don't mention where the ingredients come from.

The ideal solution would be for the FDA to revamp current labels to reflect globalization with labels that provide the whole story including where ingredients come from. In the meantime, all we can do is buy as local as possible and only purchase food products from manufacturers that voluntarily disclose source of ingredients.