What is clearly intended to be seen as a ‘corporate responsibility’ move may actually be a smoke-screen sent up by the sugary cereal pushers. Kellogg’s is adding ‘nutrition benefits’ info on their boxes. But that may just confuse shoppers more…
We’re all used to the ubiquitous government-mandated ‘Nutrition Information’ listings on all pack-aged food products. But now Kellogg’s is doing something I fear will just confuse and mislead shop-pers – parents in particular – about how ‘healthy’ their cereals are for kids.
‘More’ is ‘less’?
In this case, it could well be. As in, more nutrition info provided by the manufacturer could lead to greater blurring of consumer comprehension when attempting to weigh the health and safety impli-cations of a product.
Recent surveys have revealed that many folks still have trouble deciphering and understanding the Nutrition Facts labels on packaged food products. Not to mention the often confounding language of mandatory ingredient listings.
There’s a good reason for that. Manufacturers have developed ways of camouflaging the facts and ingredients they are shamed of by using technical and fuzzy language.
Case in point…
One good example of that shady practice was the recent attempt by Hershey’s to conceal the fact that they were no longer using ‘100 Percent Milk Chocolate’ in some of their most popular products. They simply changed the label, removing the ‘100% Chocolate’ banner on Peanut Butter Cups. On other products, they replaced the world chocolate’ with ‘chocolately’. And so on…
If they thought consumers wouldn’t notice, they had another – big – ‘think’ coming. Reese’s heir Brad Hershey, grandson of the founder, called out Hershey’s for it’s sneaky switch to alt-cocoa products. And the social media erupted like the chocolate fountain at a wedding reception. Within days, Hersh-ey’s announced it would revert to ‘real chocolate’ in all its products by early next year. So much for trying to boost profits by going cheap.
So what is Kellogg’s up to…
… With their new supplemental Nutrition Benefits label? The theory seems to be: “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” If consumers are getting wise to the industry’e tricks, it’s time to bring out a new one folks haven’t seen yet. If you were already in a fog about what all the nutrition and ingredient listings meant, then they want to stick you in a veritable ‘pea-souper’. In short, that’s what the Brits call a thick, sickly yellow, potentially deadly ‘killer’ fog, caused by pollution.
Kellogg’s move is apparently an attempt to get ahead of the already emerging consumer backlash against junk foods that claim to be making themselves healthier by adding ‘functional’ ingredients, such as protein and fibre. And essential nutrients which many manufacturers lump under the identity of ‘electrolytes’.
There’s your problem…
The junk food manufacturers are just adding stuff in the ‘good’column without removing anything from the ‘bad’ column. Their products are just as bad for you as they always were. But they now contain ingredients that have recently been spotlighted as ‘healthy’.
Take the good with the bad?
Not this savvy old bird! Not – literally – on your life! I learned to read when I was seven. And I devel-oped my essential critical thinking skills well before the education system was taken over by the well-meaning morons who run it now.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to rad the labels, digest thoroughly the information they provide, and leave crappy products on the shelf. Sugar-loaded kid-targeted breakfast cereals with added pro-tein and fibre are no more beneficial than previous incarnations!
MONDAY: Decoding and debunking the SPOONS ‘framework’…
~ Maggie J.