Fresh herbs labeled for nutrient content as if side dishes

Details

Created on 02, September, 2024

Cult-favorite no-frills food market chain incorrectly touts vitamins C & A in fresh herbs on shelf signage…

Any mention of a food’s nutrient strengths can only be made if the food has at least 10% of the Daily Value of that nutrient in ONE FDA-defined SERVING. One serving of fresh parsley or cilantro is 1 Tbsp or about 4 grams. This quantity of fresh parsley has only 6% of the DV for vitamin C and 2% for vitamin A. Cilantro is slightly lower, so NEITHER HERB IS EVEN A GOOD SOURCE of these two nutrients, and definitely not “high in.” But fresh parsley is high in vitamin K, with about 50% DV… not uncommon for a leafy green; cilantro has only about 10% DV for one serving.

Also... supporting data needs to be shown for ANY nutrient claim whether the claim is on a shelf talker, on the food package or in any form of marketing (newsletter, website, etc.). This popular market had no supporting data, as is common with their many overblown nutrient claims.