| Amazingly, in grocery stores, 90¢ out of every dollar is spent on processed and packaged foods. This is a significant increase over the 60¢ per dollar spent in the 1980's. This increased spending on processed foods is not just due to an abundance of available products, but is a direct result of our fast-paced, stress-filled lives. Considering that 20-25% of the U.S. population (and 30% of children between the ages of 4 and 19) eat fast food on any given day1, it becomes clear that we have the makings of a very real health crisis. The truth is, while processed and fast foods may be easily consumed and readily available, they are often of such poor quality that our leading health professionals and educators are finally taking a stand against their over-consumption. In fact, David Ludwig, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard University, recently stated that “low-quality, overly-processed foods discourage healthy eating and lead to a toxic environment.” For some time, experts have been warning us against the consumption of fast foods, but now it is becoming apparent that packaged, processed foods purchased in our grocery stores might, in fact, be doing us much more harm than good. This is why it is important for each of us to pay close attention to the ingredients in the foods we eat. This is why we created LABELWATCH. 1. Professor Steven Gortmaker, Dept. of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health.
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