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Articles: Consumers beware: Food labels lie!
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Consumers beware: Food labels lie!
As consumers, we must learn how to read and understand
food labels in order to make healthier food choices. However,
this task is not always evident and can be difficult if you are not
aware of the labeling laws. There are many loopholes currently
present in the U.S. FDA food labeling regulations that allow the
food manufacturers to lie!
For example, a can of non-fat cooking spray claims to be
"fat-free". The front of the can itself says "for fat-free cooking",
and the nutrition facts on the back of the product also lists
"Calories per serving" and "Calories from Fat" as zero. So it
would be wise to assume that this product is "fat-free" correct?
Wrong! It is far from being fat-free. Allow me to explain...
If we examine the ingredients, the first three listed are canola
oil, sunflower oil, and soybean oil. The last time I checked
these ingredients were pure fat! So how do they get away with
it? Here's the loophole. The regulation states that any nutrient
less than 0.5 grams must be labeled as zero on the nutrition
label. However, the serving size is not regulated. Therefore,
the food manufacturer can manipulate the serving size to make
it less than 0.5 grams. The next time you're in a supermarket,
grab a can of cooking spray and examine the serving size. It
is 0.25 grams. Is that less than half a gram? Sure it is. So can it
be labeled fat-free? YES! Pretty deceiving isn't it? So you see,
a product that is actually 100% pure fat is being labeled as
fat-free! And there are many more cases similar to this one.
I advise you to ignore the advertising on the front of the
product. Instead, examine the nutrient facts and read the list
of ingredients. Also, shop along the perimeter of the store
where most produce, dairy items and meats are located.
By Bernadette Abraham
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