NEW YORK -- Labeling requirements are not much use if what they tell us remains a mystery. A new guide aims to help the layperson read labels with better understanding.
"Food Additives, Nutrients & Supplements, A-to-Z" (Clear Light Publishers, $14.95 paperback) by Eileen Renders, is subtitled "A Shopper's Guide."Actually, the book has several A-to-Z's, one for each of the chapters, headed, respectively:
-- additives (acids to zingerone).
-- nutrients (amino acids to ptyalin).
-- dietary sources (almonds to yogurt).
-- supplements (acidophilus to yogurt).
-- herbs (alfalfa to yucca).
Then there's a glossary.
Renders is a health educator, founder and owner of a health-maintenance and disease-prevention educational and consulting service.
As "consumer resources" for further inquiries about processed foods, she suggests and gives phone numbers for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, (800) 332-4010; the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Meat and Poultry Hotline, (800) 535-4555; and the World Health Organization, (202) 974-3000.