Misleading Food Labels and Other Little Known Facts
Many products on the shelves in the grocery store today are quick and easy to prepare. Our laziness has created this whole line of products that allow us to create a meal in 10 to 15 minutes simply by adding water or a few ingredients to a mix. There is, however, a price we pay for this convenience, and I'm not referring to the price on the box. It’s the additives and other chemicals added to create cheap products fast that have a longer shelf life. Here are some examples of foods you think you are eating but have none of the ingredients they claim to have on the box.
The first example is the Aunt Jemima's Frozen Blueberry waffles. Did you know that they don't contain any blueberries at all?! The bluish bits you see in the waffle are dried apple parts treated with food dye.
What about the Quaker Instant Oatmeal Fruit and Cream Variety? There are packages that come in strawberry and blueberry flavors, but the strawberry packets don't contain any strawberries, and the blueberry version doesn't contain any blueberries. With all the sugar that’s added to get the fruit taste, you’d be better off adding fresh fruit to regular slow-cooked oatmeal.
Have you ever bought a cake mix from a box? How about the Betty Crocker Stir & Bake Carrot Cake? There isn’t a single shred of carrot in that entire mix. Looks like we're going to have to get out the aprons and dust off the mixing bowls.
And, what really is a “serving size”? There's no regulation on the size of a serving, and that’s why you can go to the store, buy a box of those really good looking cookies that claim to be 1 gram of fat, take them home, look at the back of the box, and realize you're only allowed to eat a quarter of that cookie. The bad part is that the given "serving size" is not even close to what we actually use in real life.
Make sure you read and use common sense when shopping. It's up to us as consumers to educate ourselves, not the responsibility of the product manufacturers. Besides, they're in it for the quick buck, they don't really have our best interest in mind.
Start Strong, Finish Stronger!
Nathan
