Healthy Food Labels: The Cream Cheese had less fat, but what is it hiding? New research reveals the truth

Pei Zhou was shopping for cream cheese when she compared a regular tub with a lower-fat version. But this was not the health truth of the products, the label hid something which the buyers don’t notice. The second had less fat, as advertised. It also had more sugar and sodium. The comparison gave the Cornell University researcher a question to take back to work: How often does a claim on the front of a package tell you whether the food inside is more nutritious?

What did Cornell find about healthy food labels?

Products with health claims often scored better than those without them. But the pattern depended on the claim and the type of product. Zhou and her colleagues, including Cornell professor Miguel I. Gómez, used Mintel data to examine nearly 150,000 U.S. product launches. About half carried a health-related claim. Roughly two-thirds of the full sample fell into the study’s “less healthy” category, as per a report by Newsweek.

The study which was published in Nature Food have used the U.K. Food Standards Agency’s Nutrient Profiling Model. Higher sugar or sodium can go against a product. Fiber and fruit content can improve its score. One product could score better than another and still fall into the same “less healthy” category.

Why can drinks with sodium claims score worse?

Some drinks with claims about having little or no sodium, or less than a reference product, tended to contain more sugar which is also in the unhealthy category. The study also found that some foods with claims about trans fat had higher levels of saturated fat. The researchers compared products already on the market. They couldn’t establish whether manufacturers increased one nutrient to make up for cutting another.

“Reduced sodium” generally means at least 25% less sodium than an appropriate reference food under U.S. rules. Say a regular soup has 800 milligrams of sodium per serving. A version with 600 milligrams has a quarter less. One serving still contains about 26% of the FDA’s Daily Value for sodium.

What is a health halo on food packaging?

A health halo forms when one positive detail makes the whole product seem healthier. An organic label tells you something about how a cookie was made. It doesn’t tell you how much added sugar it contains. A high-protein snack may still have plenty of sodium. The word that caught your eye is a starting point.

How should shoppers read the Nutrition Facts label?

Check the serving size first. If two brands list different portions, compare equal amounts. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers 5% of the Daily Value or less per serving low for a nutrient. It considers 20% or more high.

The FDA’s voluntary “healthy” claim has separate criteria. Under the updated rule, products generally need a qualifying amount of food from recommended food groups. They also have to meet limits on nutrients such as added sugars and sodium.

FAQs

Is reduced sodium the same as low sodium?

No. “Reduced” compares a product with a reference food. “Low” has its own limit.

Does high protein mean low in sugar?

No. Check the added sugars line on the Nutrition Facts panel.