Don’t Be Fooled by Misleading Food Product Claims

by Ian Lee, HealthCastle.com

With so many flashy claims on food product boxes and packaging, it can be hard to tell which claims really mean you’re buying a healthy product, and which offer more hype than help.

According to dietitian Gloria Tsang, founder of nutrition network HealthCastle.com, some claims splashed across grocery store packaging mean virtually nothing in terms of health benefits – even though they’re designed to create a healthy impression.

"There is very little regulation over how manufacturers are allowed to use certain claims," Tsang said in a press release. "That means you have to educate yourself about which claims are actually meaningful so as not to be fooled into paying too much for products with no added benefits, or thinking you’re eating healthy when you're not."

5 Misleading Terms to Watch Out for on Food Products:

• Natural: FDA rules allow this claim to be used on any product with no synthetic or artificial ingredients, even if it’s high in sodium, nitrates and other unhealthy ingredients found in nature – like arsenic, which Consumer Reports found in 100% natural juice.
• Sugar-Free: In a sweet product, this means artificial sweeteners, which are at least as bad as sugar. Artificially sweetened drinks may cause weight gain in children, and artificial sweeteners in products like chewing gum and flavored water can actually increase hunger.
• Organic: For produce, "organic" means fewer pesticides; but for packaged foods the claim often means little for health value. Two brands of organic toddler formula, for instance, were found to contain arsenic – traced back to the organic brown rice syrup in the ingredients.
• Light: When fat is removed, artificial thickeners (including various gums and waxes) are added, like in light soymilk made from water-diluted soy flour with the thickener carageenan added to approximate "real" soymilk texture.
• Made with Whole Grains: This claim can be added to foods that contain only a tiny amount of whole grains, even those made mostly from refined white flour. Look for "100% whole wheat" or whole wheat flour as the first ingredient if you want real whole grains.