Consumer NZ’s Bad Taste Food Awards winners named

Beehive Shaved Champagne Ham 97 per cent fat free but also contains high sodium. Supplied image.

Consumer NZ is highlighting the claims food manufacturers use to promote their products as being better choices than they really are.

The independent organisation has announced the 'winners” of its 2020 Bad Taste Food Awards

Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy says this year's winners podium featured products promoted as '97 per cent fat free” or packed with 'whole grain” goodness.

'However, when you check the back of the pack, you discover they're loaded with sugar or sodium.

'We also found sugary products that carried a raft of other claims, including ‘no artificial colours or flavours' or touted their vitamin and mineral content.”

The 10 winners of this year's awards are:

Nestle Milo Protein Clusters: Nestle boasts its cereal contains whole grains, 'fibre”, '8 vitamins and minerals” and will 'give your child sustained, low GI energy to keep them going for longer”. But check the small print and people will find this cereal is also 26.5 per cent sugar.

Uncle Tobys Plus Protein Peach, Sultanas & Oat Clusters: Uncle Tobys' cereal delivers 'protein” and 'fibre from whole grain to support healthy digestion”. It also delivers 22 per cent sugar. Sugar is the next largest ingredient after wheat and oats. There's extra sweetness from fruit puree, golden syrup and honey.

Nice & Natural Probiotic Oat Bars: These cranberry and coconut bars claim to be the 'right way” to 'activate your day”. They boast they're a 'good source of fibre” with 'no artificial colours or flavours”. The less savoury fact is they're also 22 percent sugar – that's two teaspoons in each bar.

OSM Almond with Vanilla Bites: OSM's bites are promoted as 'nutritionally balanced”, a source of protein, fibre, 10 vitamins and six minerals. Eat the recommended serve and you'll be getting 30g of sugar too – that's seven teaspoons.

Glaceau Vitamin Water: 'Power”, 'iron” and low calories are on offer in a bottle of dragon fruit-flavoured Glaceau Vitamin Water. But along with the vitamin-enhanced water, there's 22g of sugar: one 500ml single-serve bottle delivers five teaspoons.

Edmonds 97 per cent Fat Free Vanilla Cake: Edmonds boasts its cake mix is '97 per cent fat free” and contains 'no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives”. But this 97 per cent fat free cake mix is also 55 per cent sugar. That means there's more sugar than flour in the cake.

Woolworths Chocolate Flavoured Creamed Rice: This creamed rice also carries the '97 per cent fat free” claim. It contains 'no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives” and even manages a 3.5-star health rating. It may be low fat but it's not low sugar: there's five teaspoons in every serve.

Beehive Shaved Champagne Ham: The front of the pack declares Beehive's ham is '97 per cent fat free” as well as 'gluten free”, 'soy free” and 'MSG free”. What you won't find on the front is that the ham is also high in sodium: 1200mg per 100g. This information is only in the fine print on the back.

Pams Fruit Zoo Vines: 'Wow 65 per cent fruit juice,” Pams fruit vines brag. They contain 'no artificial colours or flavours” and are 'gluten, dairy & nut free!” People may also want to know they're almost 55 per cent sugar. Along with reconstituted fruit juice, the vines contain sugar and glucose syrup, adding to their sweetness.

Lewis Road Creamery Collagen Milk: Lewis Road released its collagen-infused milk this year claiming collagen is 'scientifically shown to regenerate joint cartilage”. But evidence for collagen supplementation is far from conclusive and the company's claims weren't approved under the Food Standards Code says Consumer NZ. Lewis Road dropped the claims when Consumer NZ called it out.

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2 comments

Sugar loaded highs

Posted on 30-11-2020 15:57 | By Johnney

It is chronic with our obesity epidemic that companies are allowed to make fat free or low fat claims when they are lacing their products with sugar. Simply wrong and misleading.


@Johnney

Posted on 01-12-2020 18:34 | By morepork

They are within their rights because sugars (carbohydrates) and fats (fatty acid providers) are entirely different food groups. But you are right that we should reasonably be able to expect warnings for ANY food group that is deleterious to our health... If enough people make enough noise manufacturers WILL be required to state sugar levels with equal prominence that they give to "lo-fat" etc. Meantime, read the labels and understand that there are obscene amounts of sugar in most processed food... And don't get me started about salt.... :-)


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