Chad Clark's Open Journal : 2009-05-13

1) Should junk food be fortified with vitamins and minerals?

Iodine has been added to table salt for decades to reduce medical problems
such as some thyroid problems.

Some members of the food industry want to be able to fortify many foods.
Critics claim this will lead to the fortification of junk food in order for
manufactures to place marketing that will trick consumers into thinking the
food is healthy.

I suppose that could happen.  I have noticed things like gummy bears with
"fat free" on the label but not "made almost entirely sugar".

The Globe and Mail article reads:

  Under a policy proposed by Health Canada in 2005, manufacturers would be
  able to fortify certain foods with nutrients such as thiamin,
  beta-carotene, vitamin D and calcium as a way to increase access to certain
  vitamins and minerals. Still at the proposal stage, the policy isn't
  binding under federal regulations.
  
  ...
  
  Health Canada's proposal would exclude foods that naturally contain
  vitamins and minerals, such as fruits, vegetables, pasta, bread, rice,
  fresh meat and fish, breakfast cereal, spices and seasonings. That would
  leave items such as frozen dinners or packaged snacks to be fortified.
  
  ...
  
  "As soon as we make these foods appear more healthful to consumers, they
  will choose them more frequently," Dr. Freedhoff said.
  
  ...
  
  Part of the concern stems from the fact that many packaged or processed
  foods typically contain high levels of either sugar, fat, calories or
  sodium, which would negate any benefit derived from the inclusion of
  vitamins, according to health experts.
  
  ...
  
  General Mills Inc., the maker of Cheerios, is in hot water with the
  U.S. Food and Drug Administration for taking those claims too far. The FDA
  sent a letter earlier this month to the CEO of General Mills stating that
  health claims on Cheerios boxes, including that the cereal can help lower
  cholesterol in six weeks, are unauthorized and must be changed.
  
  Those claims do not appear on Cheerios packages sold in Canada.