Brian Wansink, the food expert and author, says shoppers should beware of so-called “health halos” – key words on food labels that lead consumers to perceive the items as healthy.
Examples include:
- “organic”
- “natural”
- “fresh”
- “low-calorie”
Not all food labelled “organic” is 100 per cent organic, Wansink said. Meanwhile “natural” and “fresh” are vague tagsthat lead consumers to skip the nutritional labels, which often reveal high sugar or sodium content and not-so-natural, unpronounceable ingredients.
“Low-calorie” labels are tricky because they are slapped on so many grocery store items, from yogurt to granola bars. “Low-fat” can still mean that the product has too much added sugar to improve taste. But Wansink said studies have shown that at least one calorie-focused marketing trick seems to benefit the consumer.
The popular 100-calorie packs of cookies, chips and other snacks may seem like a gimmick, but Wansink said about 70 per cent of people end up eating less when they buy smaller packages of food.
