Nutritional information mostly misleading What is a serving of biscuit?

More and more consumers pay attention to nutritional values ​​when buying food. For some products, calorie, sugar and fat are prominently positioned on the front. This information is voluntary and may have a different serving size as a basis. If the nutritional values ​​are based on smaller quantities, the food is increasingly bought. That is the conclusion of a study of the University of Göttingen.
The market researchers had evaluated data from more than 1,500 supermarkets in the UK over a period of two years. A total of 61 products were examined, including biscuits and yoghurt. The results were published in the journal Journal of the Association for Consumer Research.

Incomprehensible nutritional information. Picture: pixarno - fotolia

Apparently, many customers rate a food only according to the specified calorie count and pay attention not to the portion. According to the researchers, this information is more of a marketing aid for manufacturers than an education for the consumer. Smaller portion information can mislead buyers and adversely affect food habits. Because the product is considered to be "healthier" than it actually is.

Another result was that smaller portions were more likely to be made on "unhealthier" products. The researchers conclude that nutrition labeling is used on a voluntary basis to deliberately manipulate the amount of calories consumed.
Such information should not be confused with the nutritional table on the back, which is mandatory for all pre-packaged foods from December 2016. Required are seven nutritional information related to a fixed portion size of 100 grams or 100 milliliters: the energy content and levels of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar, protein, and salt. On many products, the nutritional value table is already indicated on the back. (Heike Kreutz, aid)