Is it really “whole grain”? Often misleading food labels

Reviewer: Dennis Thompson

People who opt for whole-grain foods and want a healthy diet aren’t helped by product labels that can confuse and mislead consumers, a new study shows.

Researchers found that when asked to rely on food packaging labels, nearly half could not identify healthy whole grain options.

Studies have shown that similar proportions of participants were unable to accurately state the total grain content of various products.

Terms such as “multigrain,” “whole grain,” “honey,” and “12 grain” can be used for bread, cereals, and crackers as a healthy option, even when the product contains mostly refined flour. I will. Professor at the Faculty of Nutritional Sciences and Policy at Tufts University in Boston.

“If they say it contains whole grains, it really needs to contain some whole grains. If they make all false claims, they’ll have a problem Let’s say,” Wild said. “But it’s perfectly allowed to say that whole grains are included, even if they are mostly refined grains.

“There are no rules for terms such as multi-grain, 7-grain, 12-grain, or coloring,” Wild continued. “There are no rules that consumers associate with whole grains to use these terms for refined grain products or to color their products brown.”

Current US dietary guidelines recommend that whole grains account for at least half of a person’s total grain intake. Research has shown that whole grains are protected against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, the researchers said in the background.

The refined grain has the outer layer of healthy grain removed and ground into flour or meal. Since whole wheat products contain whole grains, they have higher fiber content and higher nutrient levels.

Wild and his colleagues have used two different methods to test their consumer familiarity with choosing whole grain products.

In one experiment, people were asked to choose one of two fictitious products. One was high in whole grains and there was no claim on the front of the package. “Whole grain” or “multigrain” or “wheat”.

Both products had an ingredient list and a nutrition panel that clearly showed that less flashy products had more whole grains, but 29% to 47% of participants still Found a less healthy option on the market as a whole grain power plant found.

“The question distinguished people who claimed whole grain dependence on the front of the package compared to those who looked at the ingredient list,” Wild said. “By looking at the ingredient list, we could see which products really contained whole grains.”

In the second experiment, participants see four real grain products and speculate whether each contains whole grains, almost whole grains, or little whole grains. I asked you to.

Researchers have found that 43% to 51% of people are exaggerating the whole grain content of their products, based on what packaging told them.

Survey results were published on August 10 Public health nutrition journal.

According to Wild, the study provides strong evidence in support of all government attempts to regulate misleading whole grain labels.

“I think the “whole grain” claim is one of the worst when it comes to camouflage labels,” said co-researcher Jennifer Pomerans, associate professor of public health policy and management at the University of Global Public Health, NYU. It was

“Even people with a high degree can’t understand how whole grains are in these products,” she said in a tufts news release.

Meanwhile, if you really want to pick a product that’s high in whole grains, you’ll need to read a little more in supermarkets, Wild said.

“Read the ingredient list and find out which ones are indicators of whole grains,” Wild said. Look for words such as “whole grain” or “whole wheat” and be careful about words such as “fortified flour” or “flour” that are not “whole grain”.

“They need to know that they list it in descending order of weight. If a whole grain product lists whole grains as the first ingredient, it’s a stronger indicator of whole grain content.” “Wild continued. “This is something consumers can already do, but we find it easier to have something like a percentage of whole grain content on the front of the label.”

Nutrition Fact Travel can also help you pick healthier alternatives between whole grain products, said Dr Maria Pena, who leads endocrine services at Mount Syndactors Forest Hills in New York City.

“It’s really important to learn how to read nutrition labels. If you don’t know how to read nutrition labels, then here’s the problem,” said Pena, who did not participate in the study. “We really need to focus on the amount of carbohydrates and the amount of fiber in the bread. This actually helps us determine which bread is better than the other.

“I don’t think it’s a healthy choice if a slice of bread contains more than 30 carbohydrates,” Pena said.

(www.HealthDayNews.com)