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Bonnie Liebman, director of nutrition with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says the good food/bad food argument infuriates her because no one -- from reporters to dietitians -- questions what it really means. A diet is bad, she says, because it contains bad foods. "The industry is trying hard to shelter junk foods," she says. "They don't want consumers to know the foods are loaded with fat or salt and they are pressuring FDA to keep these things as hidden as possible. It's a smoke screen the food industry uses to protect unhealthy foods."

The favorite was the "adjective label" -- a good food/bad food format that lists the amount of each nutrient with descriptors such as "low," "medium" and "high." The nutrients are then compared with the suggested Daily Value for a 2,350 calorie a day diet -- a diet that is supposed to represent the average person. But although the consumers considered the adjective format the most helpful, they understood either the current format or the current format with a Daily Reference Value section much better.

"It definitely leads to a good food/bad food conclusion," says Ms. [Regina Hildwine] of the food processors' group. "It's confusing. What does medium carbohydrate mean? What does medium protein mean? What is medium fat? What does this all mean in the light of a total diet? What if the food is high in fat, cholesterol, fiber and protein? How do you evaluate that food? If a food is high in fat and high in cholesterol that doesn't necessarily mean you should put it back on the shelf."