Nutrition claims and health washing: that's how it is
All kinds of claims are used on food packaging. You can think of: ' 100% natural, sugar-free, low in fat, gluten-free, vegan, source of fiber, made from real fruit, enriched with, etc. ' But what exactly do all these claims mean and how are they of value? for you?
Research shows that many of these claims use the so-called ' health washing ', which means that all kinds of claims are put on a product that make it appear to be super healthy, but the claims of which actually have very little meaning. “ Gluten free ” on meat, a product that naturally never contains gluten at all, for example. This with the aim of influencing consumers 1 . Big question: how do you best detect health washing to ensure that you do not fall for the temptations of the marketers?
Some claims therefore have little added value 2 , but there are also claims that can provide a good indication. Strict rules are attached to the claims that may be made on packaging. For example, claims such as: 'low sodium' or 'low fat' may only be used on a label if the product contains less than a certain number of grams of sodium or fat 3 . For 'rich in protein' and 'source of fibre' this is exactly the other way around. The Nutrition Center indicates that these claims may only be used if the product contains more than a certain number of grams of protein or fiber 3 . Health washing often draws attention to the benefits of a nutrient in an attempt to trick consumers into believing they are the healthy choice 1 , which may not necessarily be the case. of a product does not negate all other ingredients that are not so healthy or even unhealthy 4 . This also shows that a product can, for example, be low-fat or fat-free, but can contain an enormous amount of sugar.
You can detect health washing using the tips below:
In short, it remains to pay close attention to what you buy exactly, but if you put in a little extra work, it is easy to find out which products do and which do not fall within your preference. In any case, our products do not contain any unnecessary claims and we have only mentioned the points that are really important to us: source of fiber, 25% of the RDI in vegetables and in two of the four types of Veggie Oats sugar-free & Vegan. No more, no less and as far as we (and the Nutrition Center) are concerned, it is certainly a conscious choice!
Sources:
Research shows that many of these claims use the so-called ' health washing ', which means that all kinds of claims are put on a product that make it appear to be super healthy, but the claims of which actually have very little meaning. “ Gluten free ” on meat, a product that naturally never contains gluten at all, for example. This with the aim of influencing consumers 1 . Big question: how do you best detect health washing to ensure that you do not fall for the temptations of the marketers?
Some claims therefore have little added value 2 , but there are also claims that can provide a good indication. Strict rules are attached to the claims that may be made on packaging. For example, claims such as: 'low sodium' or 'low fat' may only be used on a label if the product contains less than a certain number of grams of sodium or fat 3 . For 'rich in protein' and 'source of fibre' this is exactly the other way around. The Nutrition Center indicates that these claims may only be used if the product contains more than a certain number of grams of protein or fiber 3 . Health washing often draws attention to the benefits of a nutrient in an attempt to trick consumers into believing they are the healthy choice 1 , which may not necessarily be the case. of a product does not negate all other ingredients that are not so healthy or even unhealthy 4 . This also shows that a product can, for example, be low-fat or fat-free, but can contain an enormous amount of sugar.
You can detect health washing using the tips below:
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Read the ingredient list
The front of the packaging does not always accurately reflect the contents of the product. Marketers make promises on the front of the product and design the packaging in such a way that the product appears to be the best choice and you as a consumer want to buy it 4 . So take a critical look at the ingredient list of the product if it matches what is suggested on the front.
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'Natural' and 'organic' do not always mean healthy
Products sold in a natural store do not necessarily have to be healthy. This also applies to special foods such as 'gluten-free', 'dairy-free', 'vegan'. Products with these claims can still be full of sugar or fat, reports the Nutrition Center. Also look at the labels for organic products. Pay attention to symbols such as an * and the small print on a package.
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Choose products that have no packaging
Products that do not have packaging are often products without a claim. Think of vegetables, fruit, herbs, legumes. With this you are almost always right and in the disc of five 5 .
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Pay attention to ingredients you don't know
Ingredients such as sugar can be listed in many different ways on the ingredients list. Sugar is not only referred to as sugar on the packaging, as this scares off the consumer (4). Therefore, always check the ingredients list! Other names for sugar include: agave syrup, maple syrup, date syrup, dextrose, lactose, dextrose, fructose, fruit extract, fruit sugar, galactose, glucose (syrup), HFCS, maltose, molasses, sucrose 6 . In addition, ingredients are listed by weight. The article states, among other things, that the ingredient that appears first on the ingredients list is the 'main product' of the food. Sometimes sugar is split into glucose and fructose, for example, so that they weigh less per ingredient. In this way, sugar does not appear first on the ingredient list 3,6 .
In short, it remains to pay close attention to what you buy exactly, but if you put in a little extra work, it is easy to find out which products do and which do not fall within your preference. In any case, our products do not contain any unnecessary claims and we have only mentioned the points that are really important to us: source of fiber, 25% of the RDI in vegetables and in two of the four types of Veggie Oats sugar-free & Vegan. No more, no less and as far as we (and the Nutrition Center) are concerned, it is certainly a conscious choice!
Sources:
- Franco-Arellano, B., Vanderlee, L., Ahmed, M., Oh, A., & L'Abbé, M. (2020). Influence of front-of-pack labeling and regulated nutrition claims on consumers' perceptions of product healthfulness and purchase intentions: A randomized controlled trial . Appetite, 149, 104629
- Martínez, SV, & Siani, A. (2017). Health claims made on food in the EU: The edge between scientific knowledge and regulatory requirements. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 69, 315–323.
- Nutrition Center. (nd-c). Nutritional Claims .
- Nocella, G., & Kennedy, O. (2012). Food Health Claims – What consumers understand. Food Policy, 37(5), 571–580
- Nutrition Center. (nd-a). Organic .
- Nutrition Center. (nd). Sugar .
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Labels and emblems organic, natural, healthy food, fresh and vegetarian food . (2020).
[Photo: Freepik]
