Whole grains or no grains? Food labels can be misleading

Food labels contain a wealth of information: calories, serving size, and the amounts of fat, sugar, vitamins, and fiber contained in a food, among other things. But do consumers know how to effectively use this information? A recent study showed that some consumers are struggling, especially when it comes to understanding whole grains. Recent study highlights consumer confusion For the study, published in Public Health Nutrition, researchers conducted two experiments to examine consumer understanding of whole grains on food labels. The research, which focused on food labels on bread, cereal, and crackers, was done online and involved more than 1,000 adults. In the first experiment, researchers displayed pairs of products with different amounts of whole grains (based on the ingredients list and fiber content), sugar, and salt on mocked-up Nutrition Facts panels. One of the products contained a good amount of whole grains but made no claims on the front of the package. The other product had less overall whole grains, but sold itself with terms like “multigrain” or “wheat” on the front of the package. Results showed that 29% to 47% of study participants incorrectly identified the less healthy product as the better option. The second experiment used actual food labels and asked the study participants to identify which products had 100% whole grain, mostly whole grain, or little to no whole grain. About half of the study participants (43% to 51%) overstated the amount of w...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Healthy Eating Nutrition Source Type: blogs