Are Food Labels Fooling You?
It is over 10 years since the European regulation on nutrition and health claims came into force, with the aim of protecting consumers from misleading claims and encouraging healthier choices. However, is everything we see labelled on our food products exactly what it says on the tin, box, or packaging?
Food labels are designed to inform consumers, but they can also be misleading. Marketing claims like ‘low fat’ or ‘low sugar’ often create a “health halo,” causing consumers to overestimate a product’s nutritional value and potentially consume more of it. These claims are not always a reliable indicator of health, as food companies may replace one component with another, often leading to a product that is higher in sugar or calories than the original. Understanding how to interpret labels beyond the front-of-pack claims is crucial for making informed dietary choices.
Reading food labels can give you a lot of information about the food you are eating and help you to make a choice of whether you want to buy or eat it.
But with so much information on a label it can be hard to know what is helpful and what is not. After all, it is in a manufacturers interest to entice you to buy their product, so they are very savvy with what they want you to read first to ensure you add it to your supermarket trolley.
With many of us aspiring to live a healthy lifestyle but with a limited understanding of what that means nutritionally speaking, it is easy to be fooled by what the labels are telling us.
The Problem with “Low Fat”
The label “low fat” does not always equate to a healthy choice. In the UK, this label requires a product to have less than 3g of fat per 100g. However, when fat is removed, manufacturers often add sugar to maintain taste and texture [1]. This practice emerged from a widespread public health message in the 1980s that saturated fat was a primary cause of heart disease. In response, the food industry began replacing animal fats with vegetable oils and, through a process called hydrogenation, created harmful trans fats to achieve a desired consistency [2]. While trans fats have now been largely removed from products, many low-fat items remain high in sugar.
Studies have shown that the “low fat” label can trick consumers into eating more of a product, a phenomenon known as the “health halo effect” [3]. This overconsumption can lead to increased intake of hidden sugars, which, when not burned off, are converted to body fat, a key factor in weight gain and health issues.
It’s important to recognize that fats are not inherently bad. They are an incredibly rich energy source and are essential for maintaining healthy blood vessels, producing hormones, and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) [4]. A diet that is too low in fat can lead to deficiencies in these crucial vitamins, which can impact immunity, bone health, and the body’s ability to heal [5]. It’s far better to focus on consuming healthier fats from sources like animal protein, fish, nuts, seeds, and olive oil.
Take a look at these three examples of 500g of Natural Yogurt taken from Tesco.com on 26/02/2021.
You may be drawn to the ‘low fat’ or ‘0% fat’ labels because you want to decrease the level of fat in your diet. But when you investigate the nutritional information of these alternatives the sugar content in these supposedly ‘healthier’ versions it higher.
As we have mentioned it when discussing products with reduced fat levels, we can move on to the misleading labels of products regarding sugar.
The Deception of “Low Sugar”
Similar to low-fat products, “low sugar” or “no added sugar” foods can be misleading. While they may not contain table sugar, companies often use alternative sweeteners, including fruit juice concentrates, which are still a form of sugar. Fruit juice concentrate is a highly processed sweetener that, despite being from a “natural” source, can be as detrimental as refined sugar, rapidly spiking blood glucose levels [6].
As a refresher, the recommended daily intake of sugar is very low. The World Health Organization recommends limiting free sugars to less than 25g per day for an adult. To put this into perspective, a single can of Coke contains around 39g of sugar, which is well over your daily limit. Excessive sugar consumption is a significant contributor to weight gain, particularly around the waist, as it leads to insulin spikes and fat storage. It’s also linked to numerous other health issues, including dull skin, chronic stress, a weakened immune system, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes [7].
Commonly Used Hidden Sugar Names and Ingredients to Watch For:
Glucose, Sucrose, Fructose, Maltose, Lactose (ingredients ending in ‘ose’)
Honey, molasses, syrups, fruit juice concentrates
Artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose, found in many “sugar-free” products.
Other issues:
- It robs your body of vitamins, causing dull hair & skin
- Causes emotional, mental & physical stress
- Weakens your immune system
- It is addictive
- Wears out your internal organs and is thought to be behind the increase in type 2 diabetes
The Worse Offenders
- White refined sugar (the type you get in packets & add to coffee).
- Fruit juices and squash (unless freshly squeezed yourself).
- Alcohol.
- Cakes, sweets, biscuits & ice cream.
- Low-fat foods, diet yoghurts, most breakfast cereals, health bars & energy drinks.
Serving Sizes & Ingredient Lists: The Finer Details
Manufacturers determine a product’s “serving size,” and this can vary widely and be completely different from what a person would reasonably eat. For example, a package of six hot cross buns may state it contains 12 servings, with each bun counted as two servings. This can trick consumers into believing they’re consuming half the calories, fat, and sugar they actually are.
The ingredients list is a valuable, unbiased source of information. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, meaning the first ingredient is the most abundant. If sugar, fat, or salt is listed among the first few ingredients, it’s a clear sign that the product is likely not a healthy choice.
Knowledge is power. By educating yourself on how to read and interpret food labels, you can make informed decisions that support your health goals rather than being swayed by misleading marketing.
If you want to learn more I have a number of nutrition books that I recommend here, some have recipes, some the science behind nutrition, others have both; but what they all have is a no-nonsense and minimal jargon approach to what is really going on when we eat food. I hope you find them of interest.
For a more guided support with your nutritional wellness and how to gain a balance in all other aspects of your lifestyle, head to my Wellness Training to learn how to create better habits, improve your wellness and live a happier healthier life.
Take care,
Emma
Citation List
Dillinger, E. (2019). Low-fat doesn’t always mean healthy. Scientific American.
Mozaffarian, D., et al. (2009). Health Effects of Trans-Fatty Acids: Experimental and Human Evidence. Food Science and Technology, 25(4), 223–236.
Wansink, B., & Chandon, P. (2006). Can “Low-Fat” Labels Lead to Overeating? Journal of Marketing Research, 43(4), 605–619.
Gillingham, L. G., et al. (2011). Dietary fat and health: The role of essential fatty acids. Journal of Clinical Lipidology, 5(2), 127–134.
Mayo Clinic. (2023, June 10). Low-fat diet: Is it for you?
Ludwig, D. S. (2013). The glycemic index, insulin, and obesity. Advances in Nutrition, 4(4), 481-483.
Sweeney, J. (2023). High sugar diets can reduce immune system function, study finds. Medical News Today.
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