Would you pay attention if health symbols -- kind of a like a traffic light system -- were posted on your food labels? A green light would mean an item is low in fat, salt, and sugar, a yellow light would indicate medium levels of these additives, and a red light would signal high portions of these goodies. Some food companies in Britain use a system like this, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a similar practice.

The FDA is gathering input from food companies, trade groups, watchdog organizations, medical experts, and overseas counterparts about this topic. While action would still be years away, it's the thought that counts. Thinking is the first step. Implementation might be in the near future.

Until you see the traffic-light system in full swing, pay attention to the foods you purchase. Some already come bearing their own symbols. PepsiCo, for example, uses the "Smart Spot" symbol on Diet Pepsi, Baked Lay's chips, and a few other products. And Hannaford Bros., a New England supermarket chain, uses a zero-to-three star system to rate more than 25,000 products.