by Dr. Gary Farr on 31 October 2005
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A consumer watchdog group says many food labels on shelves today exaggerate the presence of healthy ingredients.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest said the Food and Drug Administration has not taken action to stop what it calls the "deceptive labeling."
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The group said some food manufacturers are "tricking" health-conscious consumers.
"Too many processed foods contain only token amounts of the healthful ingredients highlighted on labels and are typically loaded with fats, refined sugars, refined flour, and salt, in various combinations," said Bruce Silverglade, CSPI director of legal affairs.
At a Thursday news conference in Washington, D.C., with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Silverglade said that the FDA should immediately stop misleading food labels.
Some examples of misleading food labeling that the CSPI presented included:
- Gerber Graduates for Toddlers Fruit Juice Snacks. Its package is decorated with pictures of oranges, cherries, and strawberries, but the leading ingredients are corn syrup and sugar.
- Betty Crocker Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix. The box depicts what appear to be pieces of carrot, but the only carrot ingredient is "carrot powder," which is the 19th ingredient listed, behind artificial color, salt, and dicalcium phosphate.
- Smucker's Simply 100% Fruit. The strawberry version of this spread contains 30 percent strawberries; the blueberry version contains only 43 percent blueberries. Both have more fruit syrup than fruit, and the syrup that comes not from berries but from less-expensive apple, pineapple, or pear juice concentrate.
- Kellogg's Eggo Nutri-Grain Pancakes. The label boasts that these pancakes are "Made with Whole Wheat and Whole Grain," but the pancakes are made primarily with white flour and have more high-fructose corn syrup than whole wheat or other whole grain. CSPI said foods labeled "whole grain" should have whole grain flour as their flour constituent, as is the requirement for whole wheat bread.
- General Mills' Yoplait Light Fat Free Yogurt. The label claims to burn more fat and help dieters lose weight if they consume three servings of milk, cheese, or yogurt daily. However, the U.S. government's Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has called the evidence on dairy products and weight loss inconclusive.
- Quaker Oats Pasta Roni. The label boasts White Cheddar & Broccoli in large letters and displays a picture of pasta with pieces of broccoli. Although broccoli appears on the fourth line of a 14-line ingredient list, there are only small specks of broccoli in the actual package.
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