Crypto News: Label Junkie

Hi, it's Dasha in London. During the holidays, many of us reach for our elasticated trousers and pretend our gym membership doesn't exist. Bucking the trend, and risking feeling very guilty about my Christmas chocolate consumption, I've been reading food labels to see how helpful they really are. But first...

US scales back pandemic response as Covid explodes in Chin
BioNTech starts malaria trial in new test for mRNA vaccines
Hunger, disease have exploded in Africa and are set to get worse

Food groups like Nestle and Unilever are succumbing to investor pressure to be more transparent on how healthy the food they sell is. But with so many metrics telling vastly different stories, consumers may still struggle to judge. Nutrient profile models used in different countries approach the topic in very different ways.

Some models, including Britain's High Fat Sugar Salt (HFSS) or Europe's NutriScore, only look at products per 100 grams or 100 milliliters. That sets an easy common standard but it's hardly fair for products like gravy mix. Per 100 grams, McCormick brown gravy mix contains more than the daily recommended intake of sodium of 2.3 grams. But only about 6 grams mixed with water is used per person to go over the turkey and stuffing, that's nowhere near the daily maximum. Packaged stuffing — like Kraft Heinz's Stove Top — is also high in salt and often calorific.

Beyond the portion size, it only gets more complicated. Unlike HFSS's binary system, NutriScore, used in countries like France and Belgium, gives foods an A to E rating. Health Star Ratings, utilized in New Zealand and Australia, have even more options with a five star system with half-star increments.

Shoppers have to decide where their Christmas dinner can sit on those scales. Eating salad leaves only, while achieving a top rating, doesn't mean a balanced diet either.

In addition, nutritional scales typically look at the food as it's sold rather than how it's prepared. While Brussels sprouts or new potatoes may get a NutriScore of 'A,' they won't be so healthy if baked in goose fat. The ingredients list for packaged foods and whether it contains unhealthy additives or preservatives are another factor not taken into account by many rankings.

Deciphering various health classifications for packaged goods can seem like more trouble than it's worth. But at least health labeling on food forces people to think about it. That's an improvement. — Dasha Afanasieva

Prognosis will be taking a break for the holiday and return on Tuesday December 27.

Why is there no Strep A vaccine, asks the New Scientist. At least 19 children have died in the UK from an invasive infection of strep A bacteria. On a global scale, the bacteria kill more than half a million people each year.

The NHS in crisis: The Guardian reports on 33 hours in an emergency department at a London hospital. With a record backlog, a surge in sick people needing urgent care, a staffing shortage and nurses on strike, Britain's health service is in trouble once again.

China's reopening is a risky bet that Beijing can control the narrative. Expect officials to underplay deaths while they publicize the strength of the country's rebound, Bloomberg writes.

Ask us anything — well, anything health-related that is! Each week we're picking a reader question and putting it to our network of experts. So get in touch via AskPrognosis@bloomberg.net.