The Complete Guide To Nutrition Food Labels

According to comic Dennis Leary, people who check their feces for fiber plainly have too much time on their hands. But if you know someone like this, here's a cereal tip: Cheerios has three times the fiber of Fruit Loops (it also has about one-third the taste, but life is full of trade-offs). Fiber is just one of the categories covered on the new nutrition food labels, and this guide--which uses a rather awkward news magazine format--combines interviews with nutrition experts and in-the-aisle shopper interviews (obviously scripted) to counsel viewers in label awareness and an understanding of the legal definitions of such terms as "light," "free," and "low fat." Although much of the information is good, the price is a bit high for general consumer information. Libraries might want to consider instead an 8-minute program, Nutrition Facts: The New Food Label, which is available for $29.95 from Family Experience Productions (512) 338-1318. An optional purchase. (R. Pitman)