I love to cook. And I love working with fresh, local ingredients. I'm a Nutrition Facts box-reader, and I tend to go for minimally processed, natural foods without all the commercial fats and sugars. And yet, sometimes I feel like I'm being snookered by all the buzzwords and design cues employed in food packaging. Does the word 'Natural' slapped on a bag of fried snack chips or a can of 7-Up make them any more healthy? Really? Starbucks may be ditching trans fats in its baked goods, but that slab o' marble pound cake still packs a calorie wallop.

In an article in today's NYTimes, Kim Severson dubs this packaging/branding technique 'greenwashing.' Paula Scher and Brian Collins weigh in, derisively, on the trend. (Registration may be required to view the article.)

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