By: Julia Smith, General Member
Food labels may be causing more harm than good
In a recent study conducted by the New York Post, 82% of Americans stated that they have found food labels misleading, and over 93% feel like companies hide sugar in their products by using different words for sugar on their labels. This study highlights an issue that is extremely prevalent in today's society: Scientific Exploitation. Scientific exploitation is the misuse or misleading use of scientific words and phrases to deceive consumers into thinking that a certain product is “healthier” for the consumer. False advertising in the nutrition industry is an issue that corporations and society as a whole need to be addressing, for its impacts are detrimental and far-reaching. This article will discuss food advertising and misleading food labels, as well as educate individuals as to what everyday consumers can do to tackle false advertising.
Regulations published on January 1st, 2002 by Health Canada, by inspections, Canada made it mandatory for nutrition labels to list the calories, 13 core nutrients, and daily value (which is listed as %DV on food packages) on all packaged foods. This law was intended to provide more transparent information to consumers and empower individuals to compare the nutritional merits of products to make healthier choices. Yet, nowhere within Health Canada's online resources does it state that nutrition labels are allowed a “20% variability” in deducing the number of calories in a product. Due to this misinformation, it is safe to say that the average consumer of packaged food products is not educated about this shocking statistic and is potentially consuming more calories than they think. Web MD’s number one tip for “How to lose weight without dieting ”, is as follows;
"You can trim calories effortlessly if you use low-fat and lower-calorie products, and if the product is mixed in with other ingredients, no one will ever notice. Doing this along with counting calories is the easiest way to lose weight!”.
Web MD is not the only source that gives individuals looking to lose weight and live a healthier life this advice. The idea that switching to lower-calorie foods is the “best” way to lose weight without dieting is widely believed. Yet, when understanding the fact that food labels are permitted to fabricate the number of calories in a product, individuals who are trying to practice the “easy way to lose weight” diet may find that they are not reaching their desired results, by subconsciously consuming more calories than intended.
Scientific Exploitation is a concern that consumers need to be on the constant lookout for. The words “all-natural” are one of the most common ways this advertising tactic is used. The FDA has considered the term "natural" to mean nothing artificial (including all colour additives regardless of source) has been added to a food that would not normally be expected to be in it. However, this policy was not intended to address food production methods, such as the use of pesticides. Nowhere in the policy document did it address food processing or manufacturing methods, such as thermal technologies, pasteurization, or irradiation. The FDA also did not consider whether the "natural" should describe any nutritional or other health benefit.
Similarly to the all-natural claim, “no sugar added” products are equally deceptive. Although many foods may not have added sugar, they still contain high amounts of natural sugars. No sugar added 100% juice, for example, is free of added sugar but is still full of sugar. Consumers make assumptions that these are low-sugar alternatives and healthier but “no sugar added” does not mean a product is calorie, carbohydrate or sugar-free. There are over 56 different names for sugar; it can be challenging to figure out how much sugar a food truthfully contains. One of the most common forms of sugar is High Fructose Corn Syrup, a liquid that comes from corn starch. It consists of varying amounts of fructose and glucose, but the composition is essentially the same as sucrose or “table sugar”. Agave nectar is a natural sweetener that has been deemed the “healthy version of sugar”, although it is roughly 85% fructose, which is dangerously high and can lead to a range of health challenges.
In current food regulations, companies must list the amount of nutrients each food product contains, such as fat and cholesterol, vitamins, and minerals, but are not mandated to disclose the percentage of ingredients, such as the percentage of fruits or whole grains. In the United States, the FDA doesn’t state how much natural fruit must be used for companies to make claims that the product is made with real fruit. Many popular kid's snacks like fruit snacks, granola bars, cereals, and juice may often contain very little, or trace amounts of fruit. Parents think they are buying healthier foods for their families, but are being duped by claims of false advertising. Welch's Fruit Snacks are another example of a popular lunchbox food that provides little fruit and astronomical amounts of sugar. Each fruit snack package contains 11 grams (nearly 3 teaspoons) worth of sugar, which means that 43 percent of every bite children take is pure sugar.
A better understanding of food labels is essential to guiding society in making educated nutrition decisions and staying clear of words and tactics that corporations use to falsely market products to consumers. Understanding that false advertising in the nutrition industry, specifically on food labels, has effects on society that will push everyday consumers of products to think critically about what they are putting into their bodies. After having read this article, it is hoped that the 82% of Americans who feel as if they have been lied to on food labels can develop the critical thinking skills necessary to decipher fact from fiction on food labels that are constantly preying on vulnerable consumers.
References:
Government of Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency. “Government of Canada.” Part 2 - Analysis and Feedback - Nutrition Labelling Compliance Test - Food Label Requirements - Canadian Food Inspection Agency, / Gouvernement Du Canada, 28 Sept. 2020, https://inspection.canada.ca/food-label-requirements/labelling/industry/nutrition-labelling/additional-information/compliance-test/eng/1409949165321/1409949250097?chap=3.
“How to Lose Weight Fast and Safely.” WebMD, WebMD, 15 Feb. 2021, https://www.webmd.com/diet/lose-weight-fast
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “Use of the Term Natural on Food Labeling.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/use-term-natural-food-labeling
Kincaid, Erika. “5 Misleading Label Claims Struck down by the FTC.” Food Dive, 16 Oct. 2017, https://www.fooddive.com/news/labeling-claims-ftc-misleading/507201/