Several articles recently came to our attention regarding alcohol consumption among teens and new regulations regarding fiber ingredient labels.
The first piece, entitled “How are underage drinkers influenced by alcohol ads?” explains how targeted marketing impacts the drinking habits and potential purchasing power of teenagers.
Alcohol is the most used substance by adolescents in the U.S. People who are between 12 and 20 years old drink 11 percent of all alcoholic beverages consumed in the country, and a new study found that these underage drinkers are heavily influenced by marketing and advertising.
Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, decided to conduct the study because marketing has been known to potentially contribute to the underage drinking trend, but no other studies have examined the relationship between brand-specific advertising and consumption of alcohol.
Read more at Drug Addiction Now.
The second, “Snacks with added fiber a part of Nutrition Facts delay,” explains how a new labeling rule could change how much fiber is listed for some snack bars and cereals.
A little-discussed aspect of the revamped Nutrition Facts panel, which was postponed this week, is that it could change what ingredients products like Fiber One bars can count as dietary fiber.
The Food and Drug Administration says added ingredients need to have a health benefit to be counted as fiber on the new panel. And many ingredients that are currently used to boost fiber counts haven’t yet gotten the green light to keep doing so.