Misleading Food Labels Confuse and Misinform Parents

According to research carried out by the British Heart Foundation, 90% of parents are being misled by food manufacturers who imply that children's foods are much healthier than they really are.   Approximately 1,500 parents were questioned, all who had children under 15 years of age, and most of them felt they were being misled when it came to the health claims made on the food packets.

Wholegrain: 76% of parents thought this meant a product was healthy, yet Nestle Honey Shreddies (which state wholegrain on the packet) contain more sugar than a ring dounut!

Vitamins: 'Source of Calcium, iron and vitamins' - 63% of parents thought this meant the product is healthy.  But, Kellogg's Coco Pops use this statement on their packet and yet the cereal contains more sugar than chocolate cake!

It's important to state however, these phrases are not untrue; they are just misleading!  It seems parents are being hoodwinked into thinking these products are good and healthy to eat, but this is not the case.  They are often full of saturated fats, sugars and salt that are way beyond what we'd serve at breakfast if presented with actual spoonfuls of sugar, fat and salt in front of us!

A clear food labelling system has been talked about, but who knows when and if this will ever be introduced.  It would certainly help when choosing which products to buy!