Guest guest Posted December 12, 2002 Report Share Posted December 12, 2002 > Daily News from Healthypages > 12 December 2002 > _______________________________ > > Call for honest food labels > > Food manufacturers are misleading the public with inadequate food and drink > labelling, according to a leading consumer magazine. > > Health Which? is calling for more honest and accurate labelling after a > survey discovered that the ingredients of many foods bear little or no > resemblance to the name of the advertised products. > > A panel of 90 people examined five products. Of those tested, Paxo’s > Celebration Sausagemeat and Thyme Stuffing was one of the most misleading. > > Two-thirds of the panel expected sausagemeat to be the main ingredient, but > the only meat in the contents was a minimum of 8 per cent mechanically > separated turkey, although this has now changed to 6 per cent chicken meat > powder. The product has now been relabelled as Sausagemeat and Thyme > Flavour. > > The same proportion of the panel expected cranberry to be the main > ingredient in Whole Earth Organic Mountain Cranberry Juice, but examination > of the contents revealed that only 0.4 per cent was cranberry juice. This > has now increased to 3.2 per cent. > > Del Monte’s Peruvian Star Fruit Juice Blend contained only 2 per cent star > fruit and the main ingredient of Tesco’s Mincemeat was sugar. > > Bernard Matthews Turkey and Pork Original Sausages fared better with the > panel as the products contained 20 per cent pork and 38 per cent turkey, > but the positive feedback was tempered by the fact that the panel already > had low expectations of meat content. > > Consumers have to rely on the food industry’s honesty in volunteering > information becauses food labelling is only covered by guidelines. > > Health Which? has called for legislation to ensure that full ingredients – > including substances that could cause allergies – are displayed on all > pre-packaged food and drink. > > The magazine also wants products to list full details of nutrients, such as > energy, protein and fat. It is also recommending standardised criteria for > healthy eating food symbols and slogans. > > Kaye McIntosh, Health Which? editor, said, “Many people are confused by > food labelling – few of our testers knew that ingredients are listed by > amount, with the main ingredients first. And people are shocked to discover > some products don’t have the contents you’d expect from the product name. > > “Health Which? is calling for the food and drinks industry to label their > products honestly and stop misleading consumers,†she concluded. > > © HMG Worldwide 2002 > > > ******************************* > > Other stories > > Breast screening claims slammed > The UK’s leading cancer charity has strongly criticised suggestions that > breast screening does more harm than good, reportedly made by one of the > country’s top cancer experts. > Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=5418 > > Mixed response from campaigners over ECT guidance > Mental health campaigners have welcomed provisional suggestions from > government advisors on the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), but say > further changes are needed to strengthen patient rights. > Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=5419 > > US military “weighed down by fat citizens†> Nearly a fifth of young men in the US would not be eligible to fight for > their country because they are overweight, researchers have revealed. > Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=5420 > > Obesity linked to stroke risk in men > Obese men are twice as likely as slimmer men to suffer a stroke, according > to a recent US study. > Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=5421 > > “Postcode lottery†for life-saving nutritional care > There are serious regional inequalities in the provision of life-saving > nutritional treatment in England – vital for some patients, a charity > report has revealed. > Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=5422 > > East London hospital floored by vomiting virus > An east London hospital has been forced to cancel non-emergency operations > after a second outbreak of a vomiting bug. > Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=5423 > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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