Is there a place we can write in (in America) if we think the nutritional information on a product is incorrect?

Try FDA or USDA. It’s posssible to have 0 cholesterol depending on the source of the fats in the pizza. That doesn’t mean it’s healthy. I’ll look at a label today and see.

I just took a quick look at the ingredients for one kind of Celeste frozen cheese pizza. The list says imitation mozzarella cheese; as in, made with vegetable oil, not animal fat. However, I don’t know if that’s the same as the one that you have.

Sadly, I don’t know to whom you would report this. Who monitors labeling for food in the U.S.?

Very good question. @JLeslie. I don’t know the answer except to say you can ask a question here.

Also, I found this.

I. Nutrient Content Claims
The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA) permits the use of label claims that characterize the level of a nutrient in a food (i.e., nutrient content claims) made in accordance with FDA’s authorizing regulations. Nutrient content claims describe the level of a nutrient or dietary substance in the product, using terms such as free, high, and low, or they compare the level of a nutrient in a food to that of another food, using terms such as more, reduced, and lite. An accurate quantitative statement (e.g., 200 mg of sodium) that does not “characterize” the nutrient level may be used to describe any amount of a nutrient present. However, a statement such as “only 200 mg of sodium” characterizes the level of sodium as being low and would therefore need to conform to the criteria of an appropriate nutrient content claim or carry a disclosure statement that it does not comply with the claim. Most nutrient content claim regulations apply only to those nutrients or dietary substances that have an established daily value: A Food Labeling Guide – VII. Nutrition Labeling. The requirements that govern the use of nutrient content claims help ensure that descriptive terms, such as high or low, are used consistently for all types of food products and are thus meaningful to consumers. Healthy has been defined by a regulation as an implied nutrient content claim that characterizes a food that has “healthy” levels of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Percentage claims for dietary supplements are another category of nutrient content claims. These claims are used to describe a percentage level of a dietary ingredient for which there is no established Daily Value. Examples include simple percentage statements such as “40% omega-3 fatty acids, 10 mg per capsule,” and comparative percentage claims, e.g., “twice the omega-3 fatty acids per capsule (80 mg) as in 100 mg of menhaden oil (40 mg).” (See 21 CFR 101.13(q)(3)(ii)). A summary of the rules for use of nutrient content claims can be found in Chapter VI of The Food Labeling Guide. Examples of nutrient content claims can be found in Appendices A and B of The Food Labeling Guide: Appendix A: Definitions of Nutrient Content Claims and Appendix B: Additional Requirements for Nutrient Content Claims.

I was in an ethnic food store, (Russian, Eastern European) and noticed that on some items the Nutrition facts labels were totally bogus. Not even close, e.g. 5 calories for something that is more like 500. Labels that were for other foods. They stuck them on knowing that very few people care.
I did not feel it was worth the time to complain.

I love it. “This is a very good question. I have no idea. Bye.

Why not first try the manufacturer himself? After all, typos and production errors happen, and they aren’t all caught before products are shipped. If a responsible and ethical company – and most of them are! – discovers a problem they can have the opportunity to mount their own recall or take corrective action to remedy the problem.

By the time you write to some nameless “Consumer Ombudsman” bureaucrat and he digs the memo out of his Inbox and starts whatever process is necessary to act on it, the product may have all been consumed, and then it becomes only a PR / damage control issue for the company. Call the 800 number on the label and talk to someone who will really care about the problem.

The last time I had a question that involved USDA rules, I picked up the phone and called them. Within a few transfers, I had the answer to my question, and they were all very friendly. I will say that not all of the people I spoke to were particularly well-informed or motivated to push the request further. So, it took a little persistence, but was worth the effort.

The ingredients on the box list “Imitation Mozarella Cheese* (yummy) which is made of of ” water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and casein (milk)”.

The rest:

TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), IMITATION MOZZARELLA CHEESE (WATER, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, CASEIN (MILK), MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, TRISODIUM CITRATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, LACTIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVOR, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, GUAR GUM, SORBIC ACID (TO PRESERVE FLAVOR), ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR). CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SEASONING BLEND (SALT, SPICES, SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, GARLIC POWDER), GREEN BELL PEPPERS, FLAVOR BLEND (MALTODEXTRIN, DEXTROSE, NATURAL SPICE OLEORESINS), MODIFIED CORN STARCH, CORN OIL, XANTHAN GUM. CRUST: WHEAT FLOUR WITH MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, WATER, VEGETABLE SHORTENING (PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND COTTONSEED OILS, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BETA-CAROTENE (COLOR)), SOYBEAN OIL, YEAST, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SALT, PRESERVATIVES (CALCIUM PROPIONATE), DOUGH CONDITIONER (L-CYSTEINE MONOHYDROCHLORIDE). CONTAINS STATEMENT: MILK, WHEAT, SOY.

I looked at the label. Is does have 0 cholesterol, but it also has 14 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, and 35% of your daily limit of sodium. Yuck, that’s not touching my lips.

@gailcalled So I guess the answer is… if the Celeste cheese pizza were a cheese pizza, it would have more than 0 cholesterol. As it stands, the Celeste cheese pizza is neither cheese nor pizza, therefore it is possible.

This is why I eat almost no processed foods. Eww.

As others have noted, the lack of animal fat in the product means it has no dietary cholesterol. But for future reference, http://www.consumersunion.org – the non-profit behind Consumer Reports – is a watchdog for such things.

I didn’t think to look at the ingredients, because I never would have guessed the cheese was imitation! You all were a lot of help. Thanks!

Some branch of HHS dictates what the nutritional labels must say I think. My dad would know, but I was on fluther and thought I would ask here, because not only did I want to know who to contact, but also if anyone had ever done it.

@CWOTUS I agree contacting the manufacturer can be a good first call. I have called Stouffer’s and Campbell’s asking if there sodium is iodized. I was curious after I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and since I eat enough packaged food that it probably matters, and the food is usually so salty you would never add salt, I figured maybe America has more thyroid troubles because our iodine levels are dropping. Anyway, neither food company uses iodized sodium if you are curious.

Here is another surprise. I ate at PF Changs yesterday and order the vegetable fried rice. This morning I started to wonder if they use butter in it. (Japanese hibachi places in America put a lot of butter in their rice) so I started to think maybe Changs does similar. Changs has nutritional information available, which supplies, calories, sodium, fat, sat fat, but no cholesterol information. Surprising. And, it doesn’t say the dish is vegan, just vegetarian. Ugh. Eating out is such a nightmare really.