Slog

Michelle Slog English 1102-041 Caruso 11 April 2013

Response Letter to the FDA about Misleading Labels

The genre I used for his assignment is a letter addressed to my main audience, the Food and Drug Administration. This was the most effective approach to get my points across because my research and information is directed straight to the source of the problem. This letter from an angry consumer is mainly complaining about the food labeling standards the FDA upholds among foods and medications. In addition, it also suggests how they can make effective alterations to improve their regulations. My purpose of this letter is to provide concrete arguments about the FDAs poor labeling in order for them to reevaluate their standards. Initially I am responding to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which is where I found most of my information. Throughout the letter, I then provide other sources in which serve as additional evidence to support my cause. This letter directed to the Food and Drug Administration also contains my own personal experiences with false labeling along with highly supportive recordable sources. "Food Labeling." Center for Science in the Public Interest. N.p., 2012. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. <http://www.cspinet.org/foodlabeling/>.
Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:06 AM
Comment [1]: Look at the format of the Memo again: It should be Memo: (then write memo here) then you should have the title of your letter followed by the MLA citation of the piece that you are responding to and the URL link. Make sure you dont indent for the Memo.

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469 Miller Avenue Brick, NJ 08724 11 April 2013

Food and Drug Administration 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002

Food and Drug Administration, I am contacting you on behalf of your poor performances on regulating labels among various products I have purchased. Your company has not altered the regulations on the labeling standard since 1990, (Center of Science for the Public Interest, par. 2) and many things have changed since this time. The labels that are being manufactured are highly misleading to the consumer, and we are not receiving what we pay extensive amounts of money towards. Not only are these flaws found within food products, but also significant medications, which can cause extreme health effects among individuals. Based off of my experiences with these disingenuous labels, I have come to the conclusion that your company of the Food and Drug Administration needs to place a higher importance on consumer health. I have purchased many food products with the words natural and zero trans-fat advertised on them. The Center of Science for the Public Interests website informed me these words are not sending a fully positive message. In the consumers perspective, these phrases simply indicate the product under the packaging is decently healthy. It
Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:27 AM
Comment [4]: By giving specific examples (names of these products) you will provide them with a visual and evidence to the accusations that you are making towards them.

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:21 AM

Comment [2]: I dont know if this is the best way to start off your letter. I realize that this is a complaint letter; however, by saying your poor performances (realistically speaking) might be off putting and sounds a bit biased. Your could reword by saying: I am contacting your administration on behalf of some of the concerns that I have regarding performances regulating.

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:25 AM

Comment [3]: Maybe try and be more specific about who We is. Try and keep in mind who you are speak for? You may know but you have to assume that the people you are writing to dont know.

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has come to my knowledge that these terms do not mention anything about low cholesterol or saturated fat, which can be very harmful if not in moderation as well (Center of Science for the Public Health, par. 3). The reason there is a high importance of monitoring the distinction between these two components in foods is because they are highly diverse. Saturated fat occurs naturally in food, but trans-fat is man-made (Calorie Count, par. 1). There are also more added byproducts, or added chemicals, in trans-fat items. Although these two substances are extremely different in chemicals and source, they both contribute to life threatening diseases. Food labels play an important role in the battle against obesity and diet-related disease, which are responsible for hundreds of thousands of premature deaths in the United States each year (Center of Science for the Public Interest). Your company is partially to blame for this occurrence because of your allowance of terrible labeling principles. The Food and Drug Administration is basically allowing customers to become fooled by these labeling misconceptions which are causing damaging consumer health in society. Furthermore, the FDAs inability to produce proper food labels is also affecting the liability of the industry. This then causes more hesitation to purchase these products because in reality, it is unclear what they consist of. In addition, your industry needs to reevaluate realistic serving sizes and requiring nutrition labels to be more appealing to the average human. More often than not this information is tremendously confusing and it is not understandable what consumers are ingesting. In order to provide you with clear examples of misleading labels, I have a variety of items I wish to share with you. In the past I have purchased many 100 percent natural granola bars distributed by Natures Valley. This label makes it seem like the product is healthy, but I then took a glance at the ingredients label. The second ingredient in this product is

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:30 AM

Comment [5]: Add also here. (I you want to :P)

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:30 AM

Comment [6]: I sounds a bit weird to end a sentence with as well. Maybe take out as well and add also at the beginning of the sentence.

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:34 AM

Comment [7]: It might be better to say I feel that your company is partially .

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:35 AM

Comment [8]: You might want to add as to

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:36 AM

Comment [9]: I feel like this could be worded better. I doesnt flow

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:37 AM

Comment [10]: I like that you used an example. I would like to see more J

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high-maltose corn syrup, which has not yet been studied for potential risks (Vallient, par. 3). This developed more concerns for me because I strongly believed these snacks were decently healthy, and it was shocking to hear about this information. Not only should you reconsider your labeling tactics, but you should also look more in depth toward the ingredients these manufacturers are using. Another product I bought was Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which has the words Whole Grain Guaranteed visibly labeled at the top of the box. This label is misleading because whole grain is not the initial ingredient used for this product. Moreover, whole grain indicates the product should contain a decent quantity of fiber and nutrients, and this cereal merely contains two percent of fiber (Vallient, par. 7). Many manufactures recognize the notion that consumers do not understand the true meaning behind whole grain. This is why they demonstrate these loopholes to influences individuals that they are actually consuming healthy snacks. It is apparent that you need to notify these manufacturers about their labels, among many other industries who are producing these contradicting foods as well. Not only does your industry have poor regulations on food, but medications also create serious apprehensions. Many medications on the market acquire extensive fine print on the bottles and the consumer has difficulty acknowledging them. This is highly dangerous considering these include the health risks and the train of individuals who should not participate in consumption. The FDA needs to require the manufacturers to place this important information where it is more visible and apparent to the customer. Evidences are available for best practices in labeling format and content, such as increasing font size, using clear and simple language, using headers, and placing a more

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:38 AM

Comment [11]: It might be best to take this work out. Its not needed to make the sentence make since.

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:39 AM

Comment [12]: at may be a better word choice

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:40 AM

Comment [13]: take out of

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:41 AM

Comment [14]: This doesnt quite flow. Try and reword this sentence.

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:42 AM

Comment [15]: This needs to be plural. Consumers have had

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 10:42 AM

Comment [16]: Take out

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appropriate emphasis on organizing label content around what is most important for patients such as drug name, dose, dosage or usage instructions, patient name, doctor name, quantity, refill information, and provider content such as pharmacy name, logo and national drug code number should be in optimal font size. (Jeetu, Girish, par. 11) There are countless suggestions for you to consider that will provide higher standards on medical labels. If the Food and Drug Administration took these into account and actually made a difference in the regulation processes, there would be less confusion for consumers and fewer avoidable illnesses. Throughout my experiences and research, I have reached a final verdict that the Food and Drug Administration should highly reconsider the labeling regulations on the products mentioned. A product should not attempt to resemble a healthy component when in actuality this food is horrible for an individual. In addition, nutrition facts and labels should be easily understood to consumers and provide them with truthful information. Most importantly, this industry must place a higher importance on the monitoring of medication labeling because it is causing serious health issues among individuals. Consumers are unsure on the realism of products purchased because this company is not liable with the labeling requirements. This Food and Drug Administration industry strongly needs to do its job and place higher standards on the consumers safety, and the initial step in doing so is to improve regulation on labels. Thank you, and your patience and time is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Michelle Slog
Nora Shafer 4/9/13 11:18 AM
Comment [19]: of the realism of the products they purchase because your company (just a suggestion to make that sentence flow better)

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 11:07 AM

Comment [17]: I like that you tell them that they dont have to continue misleading people and then giving them examples as to how. I think that gives them perspective and a possible way for them to improve.

Nora Shafer 4/9/13 11:13 AM

Comment [18]: Somewhere in here you went from addressing the FDA as you, your which is slightly less formal (which is ok, because you are writing a letter) But now you are addressing them as a formal company which I feel takes away from the humanization that you were using before. I think that if you were going to address them as you them you need to keep that same format throughout the entire paper. If not, then it sounds like you are wavering from informal to formal.

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Works Cited Calorie Count. anonymous, 13 Jan. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. <http://caloriecount.about.com/difference-trans-fat-saturated-q4146>. Jeetu, G., and T. Girish. "Prescription Drug Labeling Medication Errors: A Big Deal for Pharmacists." U.S. National Library of Medicince National Institutes of Health. J Young Pharm., 2010. Web. 2 Apr. 2013. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3035877/>. "Food Labeling." Center for Science in the Public Interest. N.p., 2012. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. <http://www.cspinet.org/foodlabeling/>. Valliant, Melissa. "Top 5 Deceptive Food Labels We Bet Youve Fallen For." Hella Wella. N.p., 26 Sept. 2012. Web. 2 Apr. 2013. <http://www.hellawella.com/top-5-deceptive-foodlabels-we-bet-youve-fallen-for/2989>.

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Research Pre-Writing Purpose of this piece/ what information do you need to fulfill this info: o The purpose of this response letter is to notify the Food and Drug Administration about their poor labeling regulations. In order to successfully base an argument about this issue, I will need to provide extended research about the topic. The information I will need to find out is how the FDA displays their labeling requirements among industries. I will also need to find out the issues involved with labels on the market and how consumers are responding to them. This research will be helpful because my response letter is based on an angry consumer who is complaining to the FDA. Anything in the piece you are responding to that you do not understand/ what more do you need to research in order to understand it: o In the article I am responding to, I do not understand the full components of the nutrition labels. I need to provide more research on how the nutrition labels display positive feedback against ones that do not. For instance, I need to fully understand what is healthy for consumers and what can actually harm them in the long run. In addition to these uncertainties, I also need to research the difference between saturated fats and trans-fat. The article discusses how food labels advertise how their product has zero trans-fat, but this does not mean it does not have zero saturated fat, which is more harmful to the body. I must find information to back up these points and form my own knowledge on it. This will advance my arguments within my complaint letter to the Food and Drug Administration. What do you need to know about the full cycle of this conversation, is the article responding to something else: o I need to find out how this article came about and why it is providing the information it does. I need to research what product in particular it is refereeing to, or if it is a majority of products on the market. This can also assist me in letting the FDA know what products are misleading so they have a better sense on where they should start to reevaluate. In addition, I can put these individual products in my letter as references in order to provide more evidence on my topic. In your proposal, what will you need to research in order to accomplish what you said in it: o I need to find out the specifics of the products in which are providing misleading labels in order for the Food and Drug Administration to grasp a better hold on who to address. I could maybe even give the FDA suggestions on how to alter the labels in order for the common consumer to understand. In addition, I must research more information about the manufacturers regulations on their products considering this is where the root of the problem is.

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In intro, what will you need to research to accomplish this intention: o Within the introduction of my letter, I address the various products I purchased in which demonstrate misleading labeling. Once again, I need to display more research in order to provide examples of these products for the Food and Drug Administration. I also talk about medications in addition to food products. I need to go into more detail about these items because my letter is mainly about foods. This will further display knowledge about a variety of companies the FDA monitors and how they need to improve all of their regulations. Intended audience= what are their interests, what research is needed to provide this: o My intended audiences are the individuals in the FDA. These are the people I am addressing my letter to and who I am facing my complaints towards. Keeping in mind the Food and Drug Administration understand more about the food industry than I do, I must provide extended research in order to prove I know what I am talking about. This will then make my argument stronger and this industry will also respect me more. This will also offer the opportunity for the FDA to actually reconsider their labeling tactics based on my notable information and research. Unintended audience= who are they? What might they expect? What might you need to research in order for them to interact with this piece? o The unintended audience could be other consumers who obtain the same complaints and problems as I do in the letter. These individuals may expect me to display a logical argument to the FDA in order to make a difference in labeling. I may need to apply more research on stories of personal consumers who have had negative experiences with products due to poor labeling. This can also help me question the Food and Drug Administrations liability more and show them how their mistakes are affecting other peoples lives, not just mine. Writing a letter to the FDA, what components are necessary to capture content, audience and purpose for this piece: o In a letter, in order to capture the content, I must display the components of a proper heading and closing. I also must remember to stay professional in order for the FDA to take me seriously. In addition, I must display my information in an organized way that also proves my point and influences the Food and Drug Administration to reevaluate their standards on labeling products. In order to capture my audience, I must initially address my letter appropriately and immediately state what my purpose is for contacting them. I also need to apply my knowledge on the topic and demonstrate that I understand everything I am talking about. Lastly, in order to capture my purpose of the letter, I must provide quotes from my research. I should also include other personal experiences in order to further demonstrate how poor labeling can cause a negative effect on people.