Unhealthy foods The tricks of advertising

Consumer Center criticizes inadmissible health promises´with food

01/16/2015

That some foods are naturally healthier than others is undisputed. However, today many food manufacturers advertise with an unassailable health benefit for their products and lead consumers with the so-called „Health Claims“ in the misleading, so the criticism of the Federal association of the consumer centers (vzbv).

„In a joint action, consumer advice centers have examined foods with health claims on the label nationwide“, reports the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband. The market check on the health promises on food has shown that products with perceived health benefits are in trend and that they already account for 5% of total food sales. Often it will advertise with inadmissible statements, criticized the vzbv. „Although the European Union has strict guidelines for food health advertising and only about 250 claims are allowed across Europe, many manufacturers use loopholes in the Health Claims Regulation“ and „The legal requirements are often ignored“, faulted „Lebensmittelklarheit.de“ as the Internet portal of the consumer centers.

Almost half of the tested foods advertised inadmissible
The on behalf of the vzbv and the portal „Food clarity“ The study carried out is the third part of three consumer surveys with a total of 2,250 participants by Agrifood Consulting and the University of Göttingen in 2014. The results were presented at the opening of the International Green Week (IGW) in Berlin. Total have „63 percent of the products studied with potentially misleading statements“ curated, so the message from the vzbv. Nearly half (43 percent) of the 46 reviewed products have been promoting health claims that are not allowed from consumer point of view. „On 22 of the 46 products, the wording of health promises was inadmissible in importance“, reports the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband. As an example of the adulterated promises the vzbv calls the wording „Contributes to a normal function of the immune system“, which in the statement „Make an important contribution to the structure and functioning of the body's defenses“ be twisted. „This falsification is not permitted under the European Health Claims Regulation“, so the charge of vzbv.

First impression when making a purchase decision
The misleading health promises on food are particularly critical, because consumers' first purchase decisions are crucial. Have along „the information on the back, such as the legally required list of ingredients or nutritional information, hardly any impact on the expectations“, so the criticism of the vzbv. For example, more than 90 percent of consumers would be under the hint „unsweetened“ or „no added sugar“ understand that the product contains no sugar. Over 50 percent are of the opinion, „that no sweetening additives (sugar substitutes, sweeteners) are included - a misconception“, reports the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband. The board of vzbv, Klaus Müller, explained that the „Manufacturers take into account the expectations of consumers when labeling“ would.

Admixture of vitamins and minerals
The Consumer Centers also noted in their market check that some foods should be given a healthy image by the addition of vitamins and minerals. However, at „More than half of the tested foods did not come from the food itself, but were added industrially“, reports the vzbv. In addition, be „labeling defects have been identified in about every third product, although the EU Health Claims Regulation sets clear guidelines“, so the criticism of the food referee and co-author of the study at the consumer center Hamburg, Armin Valet.

Whitewashing on the label
The consumer advocates also demand that in future no products may be provided with health claims, which have a high sugar or fat content. This was the case for at least ten out of the 33 products examined in the market check. „Too often the food manufacturers operate whitewashing on the label“, This is the conclusion of the vzbv board member Klaus Müller. Manufacturers are required to limit themselves to approved health claims. It also requires the establishment of nutritional profiles that clearly determine the requirements for the composition of foods with health claims. (Fp)

Picture: Tim Reckmann