Smarties are healthy, my children told me last week - because the packaging says the sweets contain no artificial colours or flavours, Their claims didn't fly with me but I can't blame them for trying. They have absorbed the Western world's cultural obsession with all things "natural". Plenty of foods for adults also have packaging that proclaims their content to be au naturel. And numerous dietary trends tap into similar ideals, like clean eating, organic food and the Paleo diet, in which we are encouraged to emulate our Stone-Age ancestors. The claims made for these foods and diets are debatable, to say the least. Indeed, the US Food and Drug Administration is currently engaged in a public consultation about which foods should be allowed to use the "natural" label.
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