Food Safety

As a nutrition professional I wish to point out that the article by Warren J. Belaso “American Diet: Tough Habit to Break” (Medicine/Science, Dec. 11) contained many statements which do not reflect the views of nutrition scientists or registered dietitians. Supermarket food safety is reliable and if “73% in one poll” continued to think this despite the Alar pesticide scare, then they are following recommendations of nutrition professionals, not food faddists who imply the contrary.

When Belaso suggests “healthy food is generally more expensive than the basic supermarket variety,” he is promoting the food faddist myth that nutritious and wholesome foods are only available for a special few at a high price. The food markets in the United States carry safe, nutritious foods at reasonable prices. The supermarket is everyone’s “health food store.”

SHEILA GEBHARDT

Duarte