British retailer the Co-op is accusing its own industry of hoodwinking consumers with misleading health claims. The group is calling for a radical re-think of the regulations governing the nutrition labelling of products, which it says allows some companies to confuse consumers.
As health experts continue to issue warnings about the British diet, the Co-op claims that current labelling regulations are failing to protect consumers from over-zealous marketers, keen to present their products as 'healthy'.
The retailer has published evidence which shows that companies are making 'healthy eating' claims for products which can be high in fat, sugar and/or salt. Some exploit the nutrition labelling regulations to hide the real nutritional value of their products, and where nutrition information is given, consumers are confused because of regulations governing the way it is presented.
Wendy Wrigley, general manager of Retail Brands for the Co-operative Group, said: "We think it is misleading to claim a product has a health or nutrition benefit, when in fact its contribution to a healthy diet is negligible or worse. For example, a product which claims to be rich in minerals and vitamins, but is also 33 per cent fat, with an unspecified - but certainly very high - amount of sugar.
"Or products that claim to be healthy but when you look at the small print on the back, have a calculator to hand and know the formula for converting sodium into salt (NaCl = 2.5 x Na), you realise they also contain your maximum daily recommended salt!" she said.
Sustain, the UK-based alliance for better food and farming, found hundreds of examples of products making claims that confuse consumers, such as explicit or implied health claims on products which can be high in fat, and per cent fat-free claims on high-fat products (eg '90 per cent fat free'), when government guidelines say per cent fat-free claims should not be made as they mislead consumers.
Independent research conducted by NOP** for the Co-op showed strength of consumer opinion. The results found that eight in ten agree a vitamin claim could lead people to believe a product is healthier than it is and almost half (47 per cent) want an outright ban on these claims. It also showed that 45 per cent said that if they are to be allowed then claims should be balanced with information about fat and sugar content.
Unless companies are making a nutrition claim they do not currently have to show fat and sugar content - or indeed give any nutrition information at all. If they do, they can show just the Big Four - energy, protein, carbohydrate and fat. This denies consumers vital information on sugars, saturated fats and sodium.
Alternatively they may voluntarily show the Full Eight - the Big Four plus sugars, saturates, fibre and sodium. In each case they must, by law, show them in a prescribed format and order.
The Co-op is calling for the government to work within Europe to bring in new laws forcing all food products to carry the Full Eight and to enforce the guidelines against per cent fat-free and low/zero cholesterol claims. The Co-op also wants to see Europe introduce a consumer-friendly system for the presentation of nutrition information.
To get the ball rolling the Co-op will defy current nutrition labelling regulations to road test a new-look consumer-friendly label on Co-op Brand beefburgers and jam roly-poly pudding, available in most Co-op stores.
"We're calling on food companies and retailers to join our campaign to sweep misleading labels off the shelves once and for all," said Wrigley.