The Hidden Flaws of Nutrition Labels (Part 2)

While there are some flaws that are noticeable and can be easily-identified on nutrition labels (see Part 1), there are even more hidden flaws that you wouldn't otherwise notice. Sometimes it is because the manufacturers are trying to be deceptive and make you think something isn't as bad for you as it really is, and sometimes it is caused by rounding.

Zero Does Not Always Mean Zero

One of the biggest flaws with food labeling is if an amount it less than .5g, it is allowed to state 0g on the label. For example, manufacturers can manipulate serving sizes so that they include just under a gram of trans fat, making it legal for them to label the product 0g for trans fat. Because the serving sizes are smaller, you usually eat more than one serving per sitting, which would result in just less than 1g of trans fat if you eat two servings. This brings me to the next issue…

Serving Sizes Are Too Small

I was once browsing the frozen pizza section of my local grocery store while trying to pick a sensible pizza for a quick meal. I checked the labels and noticed that one pizza was coming in at a low of just over 300 calories. When I looked at the serving size, I knew why; a medium sized pizza had a serving size of 1/6^th of a pizza.

Serving sizes are reduced to toddler-sized portions in order to make the food seem less unhealthy. This misleads the customer into thinking there are less calories, sugar, fat, etcetera, than there really is.

Added Sugars versus Natural Sugars

The total sugar content in a serving is listed in the ingredients, but there is no indication as to whether the sugar occurs naturally, is added, or both. The way they contribute to caloric content is the same, but there is a bigger difference in regards to nutrition. The benefit of fruits containing natural sugars is the amount of additional vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fiber, and antioxidants they offer. Added sugars contain no health benefits and are truly empty calories. Consumers have no idea how much sugar in their foods is natural or added.

What other problems do you see with nutrition labels? Can you think of other improvements that can be made to labels? What do you think of the suggested improvements Fooducate suggests?

For those who desire more information about what labels don't tell you and how to determine fact from fiction on the box, see this link.

Resources:

http://www.fooducate.com/blog/2009/12/07/the-fda-wants-you-help-improve-nutrition-labeling/