Laboring over labeling

January 4, 1993

Regarding the editorial "A New Age in Food Labeling," Dec. 8: Under the new law, food manufacturers will be required to replace all of their labels at an estimated cost of $2 billion, which we as consumers will eventually pay.

I never read labels. I spent a lifetime in the food business and know that our foods are safe and wholesome - the best in the world. Also, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture do a commendable job of surveillance.

This label fiasco could have been avoided had the government simply furnished a booklet on nutrition for every household. All of the common foods are standardized. Also, it is much easier to read from a booklet than to decipher the fine print on a label. E. R. Gustafson, Tucson, Ariz.

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