Hershey Foods was recently slammed by the Food and Drug Administration for placing words on their food labels that were misleading. Although Hershey jumped to correct the misleading labels, they are not alone in trying to dupe the public into thinking their foods are somehow healthy and good to eat.
Hershey Foods is certainly not the first food company that has attempted to make junk and processed foods appear healthier than they are. In this case, they added the words “+ calcium” and “fortified” to foods that clearly are very far from healthy.
According to the FDA, there was not enough calcium in the ingredients to justify adding the text to highlight this quality on a label, nor was there justification for claiming that Hershey’s sugar free syrup was fortified with minerals and vitamins – there must be at least 10 percent of vitamins and minerals for recommended daily intake to justify this claim according to the FDA.
When buying foods, it is always important to read the ingredient list when making a buying choice. The adage, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” definitely applies when it comes to food labels. Just because a food label claims to be healthy or fortified with vitamins and minerals does not mean that it is actually the case. In fact, when it comes to processed foods, it is highly unlikely these claims will be true.
Look at the daily recommended values for protein, minerals, sodium, carbohydrates and fat. If at least 10 percent of any of the values for minerals (calcium, potassium, etc) is not present, you can be sure the food cannot be claimed to be vitamin or mineral fortified.
When reading ingredients, look for high fructose corn syrup, glucose and dextrose, which are all variations of corn-derived sugar. Also, look for bleached wheat flour, partially hydrogenated oil or hydrogenated oil. Hydrogenated oil is a source of transfats and is present in many chips, baked goods and other processed foods.
What do you eat when you want something sweet? How do you fight the constant deluge of processed foods? Give us your best suggestions in the comments below!
– The Alternative Daily