Responding to ‘Crunchy Moms’ Found a Hero in RFK Jr. posted in the The Wall Street Journal December 2nd, 2024

To the Editor,

Moms everywhere want what is best for their families and loved ones, but how can any mom make informed decisions when we don’t know what is truly in our foods.  In fact, food companies, as directed by the FDA, provide less than 1% of knowledge about our foods.

Mom’s all over the world have been ignored. So it is natural many “Crunchy Moms” are finding a hero in RFK who focuses on regulatory reform to eliminate bad ingredients in our foods.  But we believe there is a better way, it is called transparency in our foods.

At WISEcode we say to give consumers full knowledge to empower personal choice. We want everyone to know what truly is in our foods so Crunchy Moms and everyone can decide what is best for their loved ones.

How do we do this?  WIth data that provides knowledge.  WISEcode, has built the world's best food database with over 15,000 food attributes on 650,000 foods - this compared with the paltry 15 attributes we are told by food companies on the nutrition fact panel.  But more information can be confusing so we have created a simple app with “codes” that answers the following questions:

• Is your food ultra-processed? (30% of American food is)

• Does it contain hidden ingredients that harm humans, called WatchOuts (45 really bad hidden ingredients in our foods)

• Does your food contain processed seed oils? A new study ties seed oil to the rise of cancer in young adults (about 33% of our foods have seed oils)

We have now created a MAHA (Make American Healthy Again) code based on the 5 categories of ingredients that RFK wants to reform:  Ultra-processed, WatchOuts, seed oils, artificial colors and high fructose corn syrup. The MAHA code identifies close to 50% that fails one or more of these ingredient categories.

Yes, Crunchy Moms might be cheering on RFK. But at WISEcode, we are empowering moms everywhere. Clear, evidence-based information about the foods they consume is vital. Parents should not have to navigate a maze of conflicting claims and hidden ingredients to make informed choices for their families.

Our mission is simple yet powerful: provide accessible, transparent data on food processing levels and nutritional quality, enabling individuals to decode their food with confidence.

We invite Crunchy Moms, other moms and everyone to join our transparency in food revolution which empowers each of us with knowledge to make the best decision for what is right for you.

Sincerely,

Peter M. Castleman

Founder of WISEcode