Food/Nutrition Bloopers from Restaurants,
Food Companies, Web sites and News Media
The following are actual quotes or observations (the latest entries are at the top). Click for our comments. Some of these errors/misinformation have been subsequently corrected by their source and some have not.
Nutrient Claims without Nutrition Facts
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- Created on 01, September, 2005
A package of fruit turnovers baked locally and sold at a grocery store is labeled “trans fat free.” No nutrition information is provided.
Acai Berry Nutrient Claims for Protein, etc.
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- Created on 01, August, 2005
An online news article for food retailers describes the acai berry (grown in Brazil) as having “more protein than an average egg” in addition to a host of “vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids busting from each berry.”
Cereal Claims "High in Fiber and Protein"
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- Created on 01, July, 2005
A newspaper article about the advertising of “better-for-you” processed foods describes a new breakfast cereal with 2 g fiber and 6 g protein as “high in fiber and protein.”
School Snack Food Restrictions on Sugar and Fat
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- Created on 01, June, 2005
In many states, concern over childhood obesity and poor nutrition has prompted legislation restricting sales of food in schools. One state assembly recently approved a ban on foods that list sugar as the first ingredient and snacks containing more than 8 g fat.
Magazine's Top Convenience Foods for Nutrition Fail
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- Created on 01, May, 2005
A men’s fitness magazine recently rated convenience foods for nutrition and taste. Their top picks were supposedly examples of “out with the trans fats…in with the good fats…and complex carbohydrates.”
Vitamin C in Pomegranate and Other Processed Juices
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- Created on 01, April, 2005
A pasteurized, bottled pomegranate juice blend shows 25% of our Daily Value for vitamin C on its Nutrition Facts label.
Calorie Content vs. Healthfulness
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- Created on 01, March, 2005
A professor of nutrition was quoted in a major newspaper saying that “when it comes to healthy eating, the key issue is calories;” that if two products have the same number of calories, there isn’t much difference in them nutritionally.
Taste and Texture in Refined vs. Whole-Grain Foods
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- Created on 01, February, 2005
An article on a major news media Web site attributes historically poor sales of whole-grain products to their “relatively bland taste compared with refined-grain products.”
Claims that FDA Regulates
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- Created on 01, January, 2005
A food article in a major metropolitan newspaper states that FDA “regulates only nutritional claims that draw an explicit connection between a particular product and a specific disease” and that “more general claims that an ingredient is healthful…” are not subject to FDA approval.
Good or Excellent "Source of Whole Grain"
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- Created on 01, January, 2005
A major food manufacturer is touting its revised breakfast cereals, saying all the products are now “made with whole grain” and all will now be “either a 'good’ or 'excellent’ source of whole grain.”
Advisor to Grocery Retailers Mis-Advises on Omega-3 Claims
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- Created on 01, December, 2004
A firm that advises grocery retailers on how to draw more health-conscious customers warns against “confusion caused by conflicting information” about nutrition.
Better School Vending Snacks?
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- Created on 01, November, 2004
A major online news/search company’s article about schools’ efforts to combat obesity lists peanuts as an example of “the least nutritious foods” and fruit bars and sunflower kernels as examples of “the most nutritious foods.” These food categories are part of a software program that is supposed to help schools and students choose better snacks from vending machines.
Best Sources of Omega-3
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- Created on 01, October, 2004
A food industry newsletter states that “major sources” of DHA and EPA (long chain omega-3 fatty acids) are “fish, flaxseed, canola oil, nuts and avocados.”