Phrases Food Companies Use to Confuse Consumers
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates all nutrition and marketing claims on food and drink packages in the United States. The FDA has defined terms such as low fat, fat free, trans fat free, calorie free and other similar phrases. These phrases are known to the Food and Drug Administration as "Nutrition Content Claims."
Some of the most commonly used nutrition content claims on food labels are:
Calorie Free: According to the FDA's official website, a food or drink can be labeled as calorie free, or as having 0 calories if it contains less than 5 calories per serving. If a food or drink contains 4 calories per serving, the company is allowed to label the product as having 0 calories.
Free Fats: Fat is a big concern of many Americans. Because of this, there are several nutrition content claims that food companies can use to describe their product. Fat free, saturated fat free, trans fat free, and any other type of fat can be labeled as being "free" if the food product contains less than .5 grams of that fat per serving.
Next I will reveal the marketing secret that the diet food industry doesn't want you to know. Many consumers, aiming to make healthier food choices, look for light or reduced fat/calorie food products. These are some of the most confusing and deceiving labels used by food and drink manufacturers.
Less: As mandated by the Food and Drug Administration, a product can be labeled as having "less" of something (less fat, less sodium, etc.) if the product contains 25 percent less of that nutrient than the original product. Huh? What this means, is that if a snack cake normally had 10 grams of fat, the manufacturer could take out 2.5 grams of fat and boast "less fat." When reading this nutrition claim, the important question to ask is "less than what?" The term "reduced" is used in a very similar way.
Light: To be classified as "light," a food product must contain one third fewer calories than the original reference food. Watch out for this tricky detail: if a food or drink is light in color, the term "light" can be used. In other words, just because it says "light" on the package, that doesn't make the food a healthy choice.
In today's diet-obsessed society, food manufacturers are working hard to meet the demand of customers seeking healthier foods. Rather than actually make more nutritious and healthy foods, many companies simply play around with words and find the most appealing nutrition content claim for their target consumer.
Sources:
Senghas, Sarah. Calorie Free, Trans Fat Free: What do These Really Mean?" (2007). http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/235842/calorie_free_trans_fat_free_what_do.html
U.S.Food and Drug Administration. The Food Label, 1999. http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/foodlabel/newlabel.html
Published by Sarah Senghas, M.A.
Sarah Senghas holds a Master's degree in Educational Psychology and Counselor Education: Mental Health Counseling, and a B.S. in Psychology. Sarah lives in Tennessee, where she has worked as a Mental Health... View profile
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