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What are you REALLY eating? Yes, you ARE being mislead

There is a significant distinction between ‘flavoured’ and ‘flavour’ for food manufacturers. The former indicates the use of natural ingredients in the production process.

Conversely, the latter implies that the ‘flavour’ could be artificial, originating from a chemical such as isoamyl acetate, which is an organic compound derived from isoamyl alcohol and acetic acid.

This compound is frequently utilized in various pear and banana-flavored candies and snacks, as it emits that specific aroma in its concentrated form.

Additionally, it is often found in solvents, and until recently, was widely used in the aircraft industry for reinforcing and weatherproofing fabric surfaces. Not the most pleasant of concepts.

The real concern is the growing trend among manufacturers to mix ‘real’ ingredients with synthetic ones, making it increasingly difficult to avoid consuming chemicals along with your ‘real’ fruit.

For instance, while products like Nestlé’s Munch Bunch Fromage-Frais claim to be made ‘with real fruit puree’, a closer inspection of the fine print reveals they also include ‘flavouring’.

The exact nature of this ‘flavouring’ is not disclosed on the packaging (as there is no legal obligation to do so), but it is frequently synthetic — and alarmingly, the amount of synthetic flavouring used does not need to be indicated.

The phrase “No artificial colouring” can be perplexing. The definitions of ‘artificial’ used by the general public and the food industry are surprisingly dissimilar.

While we might assume that food with no artificial colouring is made solely from colours derived from fresh ingredients, there are several ‘natural’ colours that appear to contradict this assumption.

For example, cochineal, a commonly used red colouring found in Mr. Kipling’s ‘no artificial colouring’ vanilla slices, is derived from the eggs of a beetle that inhabits cactuses. Is it considered natural? According to regulations, it is. One might argue that petrol is natural, in the sense that it originates from crude oil, which comes from ancient plant matter.

Titanium dioxide, another ‘natural’ colouring I identified in the vanilla slices — and frequently present in other food products — is a white pigment produced from the rust of titanium metal, which is extracted and refined for use in paint as well as in food like cakes.

Lutein, which is sourced from marigolds, is also employed to enhance the yellow appearance of battery hens’ skin. ‘Not artificial’ does not equate to natural — it merely indicates ‘not synthetic’.

The reality is that many of these colours are favored primarily for being more cost-effective and having a longer shelf life than colours derived from fruits.

Tradition and vigorous lobbying from the influential food industry have kept these substances classified as ‘not artificial’. What distinguishes Mr. Kipling is their transparency in listing their colours, while many manufacturers simply label their ingredients as ‘colouring’ or ‘naturally sourced colouring’.

If a product’s label doesn’t highlight the use of fruit-derived colours, you can trust that they are employing colours that might be considered less appealing.

“Real” and “Fruity” are further words that are often misused. But exactly how much “real fruit” is present in your ice lolly?

The term ‘real fruit’, frequently seen on ice lolly and soft drink packages, can refer to fruit concentrate, which is a processed and stabilized form of ‘fruit concentrate’.

There are no legal standards dictating the minimum amount of ‘real fruit’ required to display this label on a product. Most ice lollies primarily consist of sugars and water, with fruit content being as little as one part in 20.

This term has essentially lost its significance in the food industry.A recent survey conducted by Trading Standards Officers discovered over 80 different applications of it in food marketing, with 79 percent deemed ‘unacceptable or misleading’. In 1989, the Ministry of Agriculture at that time issued voluntary guidelines urging manufacturers to steer clear of terms like ‘natural goodness’ or ‘nature’s way’, which went largely unheeded.

The popular Capri-Sun tropical juice drink, a favorite among children, proudly displays ‘nothing artificial at all’ on the label. However, a closer examination of its ingredients reveals artificial sweeteners, including acesulfame K and sodium saccharin, compounds that some experts caution may pose carcinogenic risks.

Only minuscule amounts of fruit concentrate are mentioned, alongside a sugar content that surpasses that found in most genuine fruits.

The term ‘juice drink’ raises flags in labeling: as per European legislation, ‘fruit juice’ and ‘fruit juice from concentrate’ must adhere to minimum fruit content requirements. Conversely, ‘fruit drink’ is not bound by such standards.

To ensure a ‘real’ fruit drink, your best bet is to visit the greengrocer, purchase some fruit, chop it up, and juice it in a blender yourself.

Incorporating fat into a healthy diet is essential for everyone. The critical consideration revolves around the type and the amount consumed.

Food manufacturers face a dilemma — fat enhances flavor, and removing it from a product typically necessitates replacing it with ingredients that consumers have been cautioned against: salt, sugar, and artificial flavorings.

Take McVitie’s Chocolate Digestive Lights as an example; they claim to contain 30 percent less fat than regular chocolate digestives but also possess higher sugar levels than their full-fat counterparts.

Label manipulation concerning ‘fat’ can be tricky; phrases like ‘lower fat’ often indicate that a high-fat item has merely been slightly reduced in fat content, rather than being inherently healthy.

The Advertising Standards Agency recently admonished Young’s Seafood for misleading consumers about the saturated fat levels in its Chip Shop cod fillets.

A television advertisement asserted that the fillets contained ‘still below 5 percent saturated fat’, suggesting that the fish was low in this harmful fat linked to heart disease.

However, according to government regulations, for a food product to officially qualify as ‘low’ in saturated fat, it must contain only 1.5 percent or less of saturated fat from its total composition.

Previously characterized solely as a slimmers’ breakfast cereal, the product has now expanded to include snack bars, which are low in fat yet high in sugar.

Food manufacturers have realized the profit potential in taking advantage of the fact that most consumers typically devote little time to scrutinizing a product; research indicates that the average duration spent perusing supermarket shelves before making a decision is merely seven seconds. Consequently, trust and health-related logos become crucial.

Kellogg’s Special K has evolved from a breakfast cereal targeting slimmers to a broader brand that includes snack bars, which are low in fat but contain a significant amount of sugar.

The 23g bars, boasting fewer than 90 calories, actually contain over a third of their weight in sugar — twice the sugar found in certain ice creams, placing them firmly within the Food Standards Agency’s ‘high in sugar’ category.

In 2008, Innocent, a brand known for its healthy beverages, was forced to retract an advertisement for a ‘simple, natural’ fruit-flavored water called This Water due to its omission of the fact that each bottle contained up to 89g of added sugar per liter.

In the absence of sugar, other sweeteners like aspartame and acesulfame K are likely present.

While these alternatives may be beneficial for calorie-conscious individuals, manufacturers are now obligated to disclose that their products are a ‘source of phenylalanine’ — a chemical that can lead to serious health issues for those with a specific disorder.

Extremely high doses of this substance have also been associated with minoreffects on health.

For decades, the term “fresh” has been misused, causing issues for government regulators. Essentially, it conveys little more than ‘not frozen’ and uncooked—however, products can still be chilled or, in the case of fish, kept on ice.

Salads, fruits, and meats may be packaged in ‘modified atmosphere’ systems that utilize gases or vacuum to prolong their freshness.

The term ‘freshly squeezed’ indicates that a product should be processed within two weeks of its use-by date, and there are specific regulations regarding ‘farm fresh’ poultry and eggs.

According to EU regulations, the designation ‘fresh’ for poultry primarily refers to the chilling method of the meat, rather than the time elapsed since the bird was slaughtered.

‘Extra fresh’ eggs must be sold within nine days of being laid, while the ‘best before’ date is set for 28 days post-laying. However, the term ‘fresh’ remains so ambiguous that it is frequently misapplied.

Recently, a prominent food retailer faced criticism from the Advertising Standards Authority for television advertisements claiming ‘fresh bread, baked from scratch’, when in fact, only about a quarter of its stores engaged in this practice. In most locations, ready-made dough is delivered from centralized processing facilities.

By Milo Johnson

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