Misleading food labels continue to crowd supermarket shelves. This was denounced by the French consumer association CLCV (Consummation Logement Cadre de Vie), which publishes the results of a 5-year study and asks the industry to remedy.
5 years of sampling
From the 2017 to the 2021, CLCV examined the labels and nutritional profiles of nearly 900 food products.
The sample includes seven product categories: breakfast cereals, meat dishes, breaded fish, biscuits, vegetarian dishes, energy drinks and yogurt.
Misleading food labels, the report
Among the most common practices and effective in confusing the consumer, the association emphasizes the habit of highlighting valuable ingredients on the label even if present in minimal quantities. This is the case, for example, of the image of strawberries on the yogurt pot.
'There is also the opposite effect: an ingredient used in large quantities because it is inexpensive that is not represented on the package', denounces the association.
A limit to summons
The ambiguity about the ingredient also invests the denomination of the products, with 'beef ravioli'with only 4% beef,'soy steaks'with just 12,5% soy, etc. (1)
The evidence on the label of an ingredient is subject to the QUID rule (Quantitative Ingredient Declaration), which requires to specify the quantity as a percentage in the list of ingredients, as we have seen.
The French association however, asks to review the standard, defining minimum thresholds so that the ingredients can be highlighted with an image on the package or be mentioned in the name of the food. (2)
claim illusory
I claim that report health benefits or highlight nutritional benefits can be a deceptive pick in consumer confidence.
Our products accompanied by Nutrition & Health Claims they were often found to be very high in fat, sugar or salt. 'Information that the packaging does not mention! ', underlines CLCV, which asks to condition the use of nutrition and health claims based on the overall nutritional profile of the products.
The unfaithful origin
As for the origin ingredients, the report highlights that very often it remains unknown.
The spread of flags French on the packaging, in fact, very often indicates only the place of packaging or manufacturing, but not also the origin of the ingredients.
On the side of the children
Further question unsolved concerns the poor nutritional profiles of foods aimed at children, as already ascertained by Joint Research Center of the European Commission. The evidence that much of these foods are potentially harmful is well established, but big industry he persists not to change the recipes of the junk food.
Consumer demand industry is peremptory. 'It is essential to establish maximum quantities of additives, flavorings, salt, fats and sugar in baby products, without waiting for binding regulations'. I wish it were.
The report of CLCV is available at this link.
Marta Strinati
Footnotes
(1) Other examples in the article Traces of PDO and PGI in the compound product? The lawyer Dario Dongo answers. FARE (Food and Agriculture Requirements), 3.12.19 https://www.foodagriculturerequirements.com/notizie/domande-e-risposte/tracce-di-dop-e-igp-nel-prodotto-composto-risponde-l-avvocato-dario-dongo
(2) Regarding the current rules, see the article Taste of, taste of. The lawyer Dario Dongo answers. FARE (Food and Agriculture Requirements), 21.8.19 https://www.foodagriculturerequirements.com/archivio-notizie/domande-e-risposte/gusto-di-sapore-di-risponde-l-avvocato-dario-dongo
A professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic studies on food and has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
