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The food industry is hunting down those who cannot see food for what it is. Not many of us read or know how to read and interpret the nutrition and ingredient labels on packaged foods. But when you do, you will gain a brand name that will help you figure out the marketing gimmicks used by FMCG companies. You will overcome the emotional blindness the food industry hopes for you.
False branding, along with fake health claims to attract consumers, is a major problem in India. Most companies target children, health conscious people and people with health problems. Nutritionists, myself included, don’t know if we can ask our customers to believe what they read on a nutrition label.
Also read: WFH and Weight Gain From Eating Junk, Ordering Online? Here’s how you can fix it
The health drink mania
Faster Memory and Height in Children: All parents want the best for their children. Complan is one of the most popular beverage brands for Indian parents who want to keep their children in good health. Every kid in the 90s wanted to be a “Complan Boy” or a “Complan Girl”. However, Complan has been charged several times for her claim of helping children – “growing twice faster”.
In 2012, Complan and Complan Memory were prosecuted under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for claiming to double the growth rate and memory improvement in children. Previously, in 2010, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration filed an indictment against Complan for the same complaint. The manufacturer of Complan has created a self-financed study to counteract the complaint. Unfortunately, the study was found to be scientifically flawed by a renowned pediatrician. The expert commented: “The design, randomization and analysis of the study show that it is very prone to bias.”
More stamina: Horlicks and Boost, which claim to offer more stamina, also lack substantial scientific evidence. The manufacturer cited a controversial scientific report from the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) claiming that Horlicks was “clinically proven” to promote child growth. However, the NIN denied such a claim.
The nutritional composition of these drinks does not justify the health claims, as they usually contain a lot of sugar and malt. According to the World Health Organization, we only need six teaspoons of sugar a day; everything else is converted to fat. Consumption of sugary foods is one of the leading causes of obesity in children worldwide.
Also read: Health drinks like Bournvita, Horlicks give your children more sugar and hardly any nutrients
Absence of “harmful” substances
No sugar, no maida: The second most deceptive food statement is “no sugar” or “sugar free”. Most “diet-friendly” foods state that their products contain no added white refined sugar. A closer look at the labels reveals that there are either honey or high fructose corn syrup, malt, dextrin, or even sugar alcohols like maltitol or sorbitol, simple starches that, like sugar, have empty calories. The lack of table sugar doesn’t mean they are sugar calorie free.
Digestive biscuits, “immunity-boosting” sugar-free chyawanprash, sugar-free cream cracker biscuits are just a few of the foods that require a closer look at the list of ingredients.
For example, Sunfeast claims that its Farmlite Digestive Biscuits contain neither sugar nor refined wheat flour. However, the product provides 497 calories per 100 grams, of which 200 calories come from 22.7 grams of fat. The rest, around 300 Kcal, comes from wheat flour and corn starch. These are simple strengths like those in Maida.
Light or “light”: The term “light” or “light” is intended to refer to a food that contains 50 percent less fat than the original. However, there are several edible oils that are known to be light based on their color or appearance.
In 2012, one of India’s most widely used edible oils – saffola – was examined by the FSSAI. Saffola claims the oil has a good balance between MUFA and PUFA which, unlike single seed oils, will help you achieve better nutrition through fats. The Saffola Saffola Gold product is a mixture of rice bran oil and safflower oil. Another product, Saffola Active, is a combination of rice bran oil and soybean oil. Saffola claims to lower cholesterol because it contains soybean oil fortified with omega-3, which helps lower cardiovascular risk factors. However, omega-3 alone is not an indicator of good health; it is the ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 that counts. There is a lack of scientific evidence to claim the health benefits of these thistle-based edible oils.
Also read: Would you like to learn how to manage your diabetes? Free online nutrition course can help with health tips
“Natural substances”
Made with Real Fruits – A fully synthetic product containing a raisin, peach or grape can also be labeled “Made with Real Fruits”. In reality, the actual number of real fruits and vegetables in such products is quite small.
A survey of 838 respondents from India found that 71.9 percent of respondents said they didn’t use a grocery list, and more than half (61.8 percent) said their choices of certain foods were not based on nutritional information.
Only 9.3 percent of consumers said they read the nutritional information when shopping. Also, not everyone who can read nutrition labels understands what they’re reading. In this study, 57.7 percent of consumers said they “did not understand” the food labels, while only 39.7 percent “partially understood” the information.
Reading nutrition facts is not enough as they can sometimes be misleading. A consumer needs to look at the ingredients and compare the health claims with the nutritional value of those ingredients. Read before you eat.
Dr. Subhasree Ray is a PhD student (ketogenic diet), certified diabetes educator, and nutritionist for clinical and public health. She tweeted @DrSubhasree. Views are personal.
(Edited by Srinjoy Dey)
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