What does low-fat and high-fibre mean to you? They are leisurely printed on food labels to indicate how healthy food is. So, if a food item that you pick says that it is low in fat and high in fiber, you need to be put it right into your cart because such foods are full of health. Not only will they provide the required nutrition and keep the body fit and healthy, but they will also help you to avoid medical complications that a high-fat or low-fibre diet can cause.
Misguided labels
As what often goes unnoticed, these food labels are mostly misguiding. The multitude of labels on food packaging can confuse even the most health-conscious consumer. On the other hand, manufacturers sometimes just underplay the harmful ingredients, trying to get your focus on the ‘low-fat’ and ‘high-fibre’ tags. A consumer trying to increase fibre intake might think that the pack of a cereal labelled ‘high fibre’ will do the trick. Well, it surely can, but what about the amount of salt and sugar it would be adding to his breakfast bowl every day?
Top Stories
Misinformation
‘Low-fat’ food labels get even more interesting. When buying a packet of crisps with a label that reads ‘low-fat’, a consumer might think that it is low in fat, but those crisps may actually contain even more calories than the standard version of another brand. Same goes for most diet cokes that claim to be low in, though they contain almost equal or even more calories than the standard version of the drink.
Harmful ingredients
Manufacturers go to a completely different level of misguiding consumers when they let the food labels go without mentioning all the ingredients that the food actually contains. In a lot of cases, the food and beverage regulators found presence of harmful ingredients in food items, most of which were not mentioned on the labels too. In some cases, the amount of such ingredients is mentioned as being way too low than the actual amount.
Image: Shutterstock