A survey from the British Heart Foundation found that nine out of ten mothers did not properly understand the nutritional information regarding children’s foods.
BHF found that most mothers think if a product is labelled as a source of ‘iron, six vitamins, and calcium’ then it is most likely healthy. Additionally the organization found that the many different labels on the market make if confusing for shoppers to choose the healthiest product.
However, manufacturers claim that their labels are adequate.
According to the BHF survey, 76% of mothers responded that a product that is wholegrain is healthy for their children. Yet, the BHF cited items such as Nestlé’s Honey Shreddies that state they are wholegrain but contain 13.6g of sugar, which is more than a donut.
The BHF also pointed to Kellogg’s Coco Pops, which are labelled to have vitamins, calcium, and iron but also have more sugar and saturated fat than a chocolate cake.
The survey also showed that three out of five respondents surveyed thought that if an item does not contain artificial colourings or flavourings the product is healthy.
Chief executive of BHF, Peter Hollins, said that food manufacturers are tricking mums into thinking that they are choosing great healthy food snacks, but in reality the snacks are high in salt, fat, and sugar.
Hollins added that children suffer if they continue to eat this type of diet over time and that a unified labelling system should be created so that companies are not able to mislead customers with tricky wording.
