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Healthy portion sizes in the Nähwertangaben often too small
Actually, looking at the nutritional value table of food packs should give you some idea of how much calories, fat, sugar, etc. are in each product. If you orient yourself but the portion size, you are often wrong. Because this is often stated by the manufacturers too small, complain consumer advocates.
Misleading information
Time and again, experts warn against tricks and deceptions in food. For example, the University of Göttingen has found in a major study that the nutrition information given on the food packaging is mostly misleading. German consumer advocates now point out that the portion sizes in the Nähwertangaben are often too small.
Food packs show how much fat, sugar or calories a serving contains. But the information is often beautified. On chip packages, for example, the portion sizes are given much too low. (Image: Syda Productions / fotolia.com) Greetings
On the packaging of food is usually how much fat, sugar or calories contains a portion. However, the information is apparently often beautified. So the portion size is given in many cases much too small, criticize consumer advocates.
In a survey of consumer centers nationwide, it has been shown that manufacturers specify the portion sizes on cereal and chip packages far too low.
Christiane Manthey from the consumer center Baden-Württemberg declares in a message what consumers can look out for when shopping.
Small portion suggests less fat
"There is a big gap between the manufacturer's voluntary portion information and the reality," explains Manthey. "In our opinion, many manufacturers expect their products to be" healthy "with the smaller portions."
Because: Smaller portion sizes automatically result in smaller amounts of sugar or fat, which consumers supposedly consume. Not infrequently manufacturers with these values promote prominently on the show side of the packaging.
Twice as big a portion
That actually consumed portions with the information of the manufacturers often do not agree, have determined consumer centers nationwide with a survey. Consumers should pour the portion of cereal and chips that matches their usual eating habits.
For cereal, the portion size, the consumers bottled, was on average 81 grams, the chips was 63 grams. However, the manufacturers had reported only 40 for muesli and 30 grams for chips.
Thus, the actual portions were more than twice as large as the portion recommended by the manufacturers on the packaging. 1,490 consumers participated in the non-representative survey.
What consumers can pay attention to
"Anyone who wants to compare the nutritional values of different foods should not be guided by the portion sizes," advises Manthey. Better comparability is provided by the regulatory information regarding 100 grams or 100 milliliters of the food.
"Just because of different eating habits, serving portions of loosely packed food is completely pointless. Arbitrarily selected portion sizes confuse rather than inform ", so the food expert.
In the case of foods that are not clearly portionable, such as crisps or muesli, manufacturers should refrain from giving portion information in the opinion of the consumer advice center.
Only with packages with specific portions such as a bar, a disc or a mug, the information on the label may be useful. (Ad)