Should Kraft Singles Really Be Given A Nutrition Seal?

This one has us scratching our heads.

You know those individually wrapped, overly processed cheese slices Kraft makes? The ones that look a little more like rubber than cheese but that your kids just love? Well the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has bestowed their “Kids Eat Right” label on those little rubbery guys.

Kraft Singles is the first product to receive this label which is derived from the academy’s logo for the Kids Eat Right nutrition education program.

For Kraft, this is major. Most people look at Kraft as a company that produced overly processed foods with way too much fat, salt, sugar and preservatives that are targeted at our kids.

And as people are taking a much more minimalist approach what they eat, more and more of us are steering clear of anything remotely processed. So slapping a label that insinuates the healthy properties of a product could be very misleading for parents.

You see, the label doesn’t actually mean that the product is a healthy choice. It is actually part of a three-year collaboration between Kraft and the academy. Mary Beth Whalen, the academy’s executive director, explains what the label actually means:

“The Kids Eat Right logo on Kraft Singles packaging identifies the brand as a proud supporter of Kids Eat Right,” she said. “It also serves to drive broader visibility to KidsEatRight.org, a trusted educational resource for consumers.”

So according to the academy, the label has no bearing on the product itself; it is simply meant to draw attention to the initiative.

But Kraft told The Times that it was the first time the academy had endorsed a product.

It’s no wonder that people are left a bit confused.

The founder of Dietitians for Professional Integrity, Andy Bellatti, was shocked by the announcement. “My jaw just hit the floor and my eyebrows just hit the ceiling,” he said. Bellatti couldn’t understand why the academy would choose “a highly processed cheese product for its first endorsement.”

We’re with Bellatti. With so many great, innovative health brands out there at the moment, why partner with Kraft, and more specifically with Kraft Singles?

What do you think? Would a nutritional label make you more likely to buy a product?