Misleading Labels

Misleading food labels continue to fool consumers with keywords and bold statements that feed into people’s dietary needs and weight loss goals. This doesn’t mean all food labels are lying when they state they are “fat free” or made with “real fruit,” but what about the other nutritional facts or ingredients?  Manufactures know that stating that part of the ingredients will lure consumers to purchase their foods because of the trend of being health conscious.  Unfortunately, the FDA does not regulate all food labels and cannot keep food manufacturers from using clever wording to avoid a potential lawsuit. What you can do is read the entire label of nutritional facts and ingredients list to find the truth behind the fancy wording and manipulative marketing.

 

A study published in the journal Appetite in 2013 fed subjects’ identical meals on separate occasions.  The information they received about the meals differed.  One was said to be lower in fat and calories than the other.  The research found that men consumed on average 3% more calories when consuming the meals they believed to be low fat.  Food labels as much can cause you to increase what you are eating because of the assumption of what the appropriate serving size should be.

Processed foods will lead to larger waistline and it is easy to fall into a trap because of what is in bold print such as “fat free” or “low fat”.  When companies alter processed foods like cookies salad dressings, peanut butter, and fruit yogurt they add sugar to compensate for taste.  Stick with the real deal and leave the guessing out of your food choices.  

Some food choices have the perception of being healthier.  For example turkey burgers are often chose over a regular hamburger for health reasons.    According to Kathy Geagan, author of Go Green, Get Lean turkey does have less saturated fat.  In terms of total fat and calories, the two meats can be virtually identical unless the patty is made with 93 percent lean meat. 

According to USDA, “Natural” meat and poultry products cannot contain artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives or other artificial ingredients, and they should be minimally processed. However, “Natural” does not tell us how the animals were raised, what they were fed, if antibiotics or hormones were used, or other aspects of production that consumers might logically expect from something labeled “natural.”  The label “Fresh” is used on poultry to indicate that the meat was not cooled below 26 degrees Fahrenheit (six degrees below freezing). Poultry does not have to be labeled as “frozen” until it reaches zero degrees.

“Raised without added Hormones” in PORK or POULTRY. Federal law prohibits the use of hormones for hogs and poultry, so the use of hormone-free labels on pork and poultry products intentionally misleads consumers by claiming that the product is different and therefore worthy of a higher price.

Labels are misleading to consumers to convince them that they are paying more for health benefits, when in some instances they are the same if it did not have the label.  When purchasing any foods with labels, read the fine print.  That will tell the story of what you are actually purchasing, not what is in bold print on the front.

Jamaal Piper

Health and Wellness Consultant

www.piperpersonaltraining.com