Don't Be Fooled by Misleading Marketing Claims

Boost Your Immunity! Protect Healthy Joints! Improve Brain Development! Reduce Cholesterol! Regulate Digestion!

Can food products really do all that?

Don't believe everything you read or hear about a food product, even if it's printed right on the front of the package. Many food packages contain a variety of statements that can be confusing or misleading.

Attempts to sell large quantities of products sometimes cause food manufacturers to make claims that are not entirely factual. For example, an advertisement for a particular brand of bread claimed the bread had fewer calories per slice than its competitors. What the advertiser did not say was that the bread was sliced much thinner than other brands. So, by volume, the calories were actually equivalent.

We need to be extra vigilant when it comes to foods marketed to kids. According to a recent study, many of the food products made specifically for children are unhealthy and non-nutritious, even though the majority claim to provide some health benefit.

Researchers examined the nutrition labels of 367 products targeted at children. Only 11% of these products were found to provide good nutritional value. Of the children's food products that failed to meet nutritional guidelines, 68% made positive nutritional claims on their packaging, such as claiming to be high in iron, a good source of whole-grain or low in fat. Even when the specific statement is true, it does not necessarily make the whole product a healthful choice.

Furthermore, some health claims, such as "strengthens your immune system" are just meaningless. Through clever wordsmithing companies can get around the FDA rules about health claims and give consumers the impression that a product will ward off disease with no scientific evidence.

For example, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice claims to "strengthen your immune system with a daily dose of vitamin C." Green Giant offers an "immunity blend" of frozen vegetables. Nestle's Carnation Instant Breakfast says it contains "antioxidants to help support the immune system."

Here are five other potentially misleading claims on food labels: lightly sweetened, a good source of fiber, made with real fruit, made with whole grains, all natural. Here's a great article in the NY Times explaining why those claims are meaningless.

To get an idea of why we consumers are so confused, check out the complexity of this Food Labeling Guide from the FDA.

For definitions, on what is allowed in claims about calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium & sugars, check out this chart.

Our advice is to be skeptical about everything you read on the front of a food package. Look at the ingredient list and food labels on the back of the package for more accurate information.