Light, fat free, no added sugar – they all have to be good for us right? Not necessarily... We take a look at what those labels really mean
Sometimes common food terms are used to make foods seem healthier than they really are. To give you the lowdown on what should be on your radar as you shop, we lift the lid on what they really mean.
‘Light’ or ‘lite’
As in light mayo for example – but the reality is a ‘light’ product only needs to have 30% less fat/sugar than the standard version. Healthy eating guidelines from NHS UK suggest consumers look at the information per 100g as sometimes there’s little difference between foods that carry claims and those that don't. For example they highlight, “A ‘light’ or ‘lite’ version of one brand of crisps may contain the same amount of fat or calories as the standard version of another brand”.
‘All natural’
This means that the product uses all natural ingredients and no artificial sweeteners, colourings or preservatives. Furthermore the Food Standards Agency (FSA) states that ‘Natural’ means essentially that the product ingredients are ‘Produced by nature, not the work of man or interfered with by man’. However, be warned, it may still be very high in fat, sugar or salt.
‘Made with real fruit’
Ingredients are listed in descending order, with the ingredient found most in the product at the top and the ingredient found least in the product at the bottom. So if fruit is featuring closer to the bottom than the top the reality is that the percentage is too little to matter. On the flipside, if fruit features closer to the top it’s likely to be high in sugar – see point 4 below.
‘No added sugar’
This means exactly that – but this doesn’t always mean it doesn’t contain any sugar. For example, fruit and fruit juices contain natural sugars. The World Cancer Research Fund suggests to look out for other words for sugar, words ending in ‘–ose’ for example, sucrose, glucose and fructose. Again as ingredients are listed in descending order, if any of these appear near the top, the product is likely to be very sugary.
‘Fat free’
Fat free foods may contain less than 0.5 grams of fat in a serving, however may still be very high in sugar and calories – therefore still not kind to our waistlines. In fact, research carried out by the Nutrition Science Initiative, found fat free yoghurt may cause greater weight gain that the full fat kind. This is because the sugars and additives added to replace missing fats drive insulin resistance – an underlying cause of obesity.
‘Multi-grain’
Don’t be fooled by the term ‘multi-grain’ or ‘made with whole grain’ as the quantity of whole grains used in the product can be miniscule. Instead look for the words ‘whole grain’ or ‘100% whole wheat’. Some baked products that claim to be multi-grain are also dyed with caramel colouring to make them look more wholesome, when in fact they are no healthier than refined white breads.
‘No Trans Fats’
Foods that sport this seemingly healthy title can still contain some artery-clogging trans fats. For example the FDA’s (The US Food & Drug Administration) rules for labelling cite if a serving contains 0.5 grams of fat or less, the manufacturer is able to claim zero grams of trans fat per serving. Your best bet is to avoid anything labelled ‘hydrogenated’.
To find out more about food labelling, serving size and recommended daily dietary amounts visit the Food & Drink Federation Website for more information.
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