Diet and health
Dieters who choose ‘low-fat’ food options from supermarkets are often eating the same number of calories as the standard option and could be consuming even more sugar warned Sue Norton - dietician to Boossh.
“We can’t say it often enough, but consumers really do have to check the nutritional information on products label before buying,” said Sue Norton.
A survey by Which? analysed a ‘snapshot sample’ of a dozen ‘low-fat’, ‘reduced fat’ or ‘light’ foods and concluded that there was little benefit to the consumer than eating the ‘normal’ alternative.
For example, according to the study a Tesco low-fat yoghurt had more calories per pot (130) than a standard version of Activia yoghurt (123) - to make matter worse the Tesco pot also contained more sugar.
“Consumers don’t really understand labelling that has words like ‘lite’ or ‘reduced fat’ emblazoned across it,” said Sue Norton.
The Which? survey asked 1,005 shoppers what ‘reduced fat’ and ‘light’ actually meant. Only 16 per cent were able to say that these products had to contain 30 per cent less fat than their standard product.
In labelling law, to be defined as ‘low fat’ a product must consist of no more than 3 per cent fat.
“If you took a high-fat product like cheese for example, even if it was branded as a ‘lite’ or ‘lighter’ version it would still be carrying a red warning on the traffic light label,” said Sue Norton.
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