A new class action lawsuit claims that Pinnacle Foods, the company that makes Hungry Man frozen dinners, includes trans fatty ingredients, despite labels that claim otherwise. With numerous similar claims appearing in the news recently it makes you wonder just how truthful food labels are on the foods we buy at the store.
Fat Makes Food Taste Good, So Any Fat is Good, Right?
The truth is that food containing fat tastes good to us. With information that saturated or animal fat contributes to health problems, such as coronary disease, food companies began manufacturing processed foods containing trans fatty ingredients to retain that oh-go-good taste while addressing the public’s concern about the health risks involved.
Food companies often use loopholes in food labeling laws to skirt by truth in label information and take advantage of consumer ignorance in the process. People may think they are buying food containing little or no unhealthy products, when in fact they are buying extremely unhealthy food or food that is not what it appears to be based on product packaging.
Just because a product package says it does not contain trans fat does not mean it has absolutely none. In fact, label laws allow less than half a gram of trans fat to be present in foods that are labeled as containing none. If you eat a great deal of processed foods, even if the label says they are trans fat free, chances are you are still eating a great deal of it and far exceeding recommended limits, endangering your health.
– The Alternative Daily