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The First Few Months (2)
It consists of three phases. In the first, the honeymoon phase, everything is absolutely grand. Next, fabulous turns to a period of frustration, depression, and confusion that is often triggered by an event involving minor cultural differences.
The First Few Months
Some days you may feel like screaming as you ride the roller coaster of emotions common to people living abroad. In the first few months of your assignment, you will probably be thrilled to be there, high on the excitement and the adventure—but at the same time, you may feel pretty stupid as you make what you probably consider silly mistakes.
Nutrient Content Claims
Nutrient content claims are (thankfully) fairly cut and dried. These claims are really more like nutrition descriptions and include terms such as light, free, reduced in, and so forth. The FDA has set specific guidelines regarding the meaning of these terms, so they can be useful if you understand the definition of the term.
Structure/Function Claims
To complicate matters even more, manufacturers are getting around the entire issue by using structure/function claims. Structure/function claims draw attention to the relationship between a food or food substance and structures or functions of the human body.
Qualified Health Claims
Now you’re entering the gray area of health claims on the food label. Qualified health claims are categorized as such because they do not meet the requirements for significant scientific agreement as set forth by the FDA. Manufacturers must petition the FDA to begin using qualified health claims on labels, and when the claims do appear on packaging, a qualifying statement (such as “supportive but not conclusive evidence shows that_____”) must be included.