Herb Weisbaum • Profile • E-mail

Food labels are a lot like the headlines on magazine covers. They’re designed to catch your eye and make you buy.

Some label claims are helpful — they give factual information about what’s inside.

Others are pure hype created by marketing departments to make the product stand out from the crowd.

Go down the supermarket aisles and look for the products that promise to improve your health by boosting your immunity.

• Dannon claims its Danactive Yogurt is "clinically proven to help strengthen your body's defenses."
• Green Giant’s new Immunity Boost Frozen Vegetables are "carefully selected" to have more vitamins A and C.
• Kraft “enhanced” some Crystal Light drink mixes with vitamins and antioxidants to create Crystal Light Immunity.
• Drinking Spava Immunity Coffee “may help strengthen your body’s natural immune system and promote overall wellness.”

David Schardt, senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says loopholes in federal label regulations make it possible for a company to claim its products are good for your immune system without any proof — no tests, no studies.

What it means With packaged organic food products, the level of organic content can vary, so you need to understand the terminology. — 100% Organic: The product is made from all organic ingredients. — Organic: At least 95% of the ingredients are organic. — Made with Organic Ingredients: At least 70 percent of the ingredients are organic. Manufacturers cannot use the organic seal on these products.

“They're playing with us,” Schardt says. "These are meaningless claims designed to move product. They know this claim is something we're going to be attracted to, even if there's no evidence that the stuff really helps." Schardt advises consumers to be skeptical of all immunity claims.

Organic label: You can trust it (usually)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates organic food. USDA specifies in great detail the rules producers must follow in order to call their products “Organic” or “USDA Organic.” Producers are certified and regularly inspected to make sure they meet these standards.

But can you trust the organic label on food that is imported from China? Some consumer experts urge caution.

“I would personally not buy anything certified as organic from China,” says Linda Greer, an environmental toxicologist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, who is familiar with food products from China. “China has a very, very small, almost non-existent food testing program,” she says. “I’d be concerned that despite the organic label, the food might be adulterated.”

Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, tells me all food from China is suspect at this time. She says the Chinese government is trying to improve food safety, but they don’t yet have a system to deal with the produce grown on millions of family farms.  “Until that work gets done and until importers and distributors can assure the public that this is done to the highest public standards, we need to be wary.”

MORE FROM TECHNOLOGY & MONEY

Technology & Money Section Front

Detroit’s auto show likely to be a bit austere   Slideshow: Will CES impress? How to get rich from your ‘Big Idea’ ‘Buy-ology’: Movies, TV and why we buy What field still has jobs — and rewards? Ask Kitty Resolve to advance your career This year, take control of your finances Readers share money resolutions for ’09 10 ways to save money in 2009 How to deal with a holiday debt hangover Technology & Money Section Front   Add Technology & Money headlines to your news reader: