 or U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but a surprising array are not. Research shows shoppers tend to trust and even rely on front-of-package statements when determining whether a food is a healthy choice. We’re clearing up some of the most common misleading claims so you can make informed choices.){kind=link}
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Brightly colored, bold, buzzwords leap off of food packages—but the claims they make can be misleading. Many of these front-of-package statements are defined and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but a surprising array are not. Research shows shoppers tend to trust and even rely on front-of-package statements when determining whether a food is a healthy choice. We’re clearing up some of the most common misleading claims so you can make informed choices.
Unregulated Claims. Food packaging is often strewn with clever (unregulated) phrases that suggest the product is “healthy”—even when it’s not. A few examples include:
- Natural/All Natural. While it might indicate a lack of artificial ingredients, this claim has no official definition and is not an indication of healthfulness. Added sugars, salt, and refined carbohydrates are “natural” ingredients, but they have all been linked to chronic health conditions.
What to do: Choosing foods that are natural and less processed is a good way to get the nutrients your body needs. Foods that do not require ingredient lists (like fruits, vegetables, beans, and fresh seafood) are always natural. Keep in mind, not all packaged foods are bad. Start with frozen, canned, or packaged fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, and check the Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient list for indications of added sugars, sodium/salt, and refined grains.
- Multigrain. “Multigrain” simply means more than one type of grain is used; they may all be refined. In a study led by Tufts University researchers, participants were asked to determine the better whole grain choice between two products: one that said either “made with whole grains,” “multigrain,” or “wheat,” and one that made no such claims. Although the ingredient list indicated the unadorned product had more whole grain, between 29 and 47 percent of participants chose the less-healthy option.
What to do: To find out for sure if a bread, pasta, cracker, cereal, or other grain product is a good source of whole grains, look for words like “whole grain” or “whole wheat” at the top of the ingredient list. The 10:1 carbohydrate to fiber ratio is a handy way to determine the healthiest choices among grain-based products. To calculate this ratio, divide the grams of Total Carbohydrates on the Nutrition Facts label by the grams of Dietary Fiber, per serving. If the resulting number is less than ten, the product is likely healthier than a similar product that scores higher than ten (the lower the better).
- Made with. This claim is regulated, but it can be very misleading. A strawberry gummy, for example, may say “made with real fruit” even if the fruit is actually a small amount of apple puree with large amounts of fillers, added sugars, artificial strawberry flavoring, and red coloring. “Made with spinach” is a popular claim on products like pastas, wraps, and snacks that contain spinach powder, paste, puree, or juice—but there may not be enough spinach to actually affect nutrient content.
What to do: Check the ingredients list to ensure the healthy component is the first ingredients listed. Choosing a minimally processed food is usually the best choice.
The Bottom Line. Front-of-package statements are generally intended to influence purchasing. They are frequently not a reliable source of a product’s healthfulness. The best defense against these claims is to read the ingredients list and the Nutrition Facts panel, compare your options within food categories, and purchase mostly real, minimally processed foods when you can.