Do you know exactly what it is you and your family are eating? If you’re
like many other health-conscious American consumers, you’ve probably
gone out of your way to look for foods that are both sustainable and free
from chemicals or other substances that could wind up being harmful. However,
how do you know the food you’re buying is exactly what it claims?
Truth is, you really can’t. While the FDA has a number of laws and
rules dictating exactly how certain foods must be labeled and sold, several
health-conscious “buzz words” have few to no regulations enforcing
them, meaning just about anyone can slap that label on anything. Here
are four of the most egregiously misused food labels and what to look out for.
“All Natural”
This is perhaps the most misleading food label out there, and it’s
slapped on almost everything, ranging from dairy products to breads to
meats and everything in between. When something is “all natural,”
it implies no synthetic or GMO ingredients. However, in reality the FDA
has no official definition for this label, so anything can receive this
label so long as it has no added colors, flavors, or synthetic substances.
In reality, the ingredients could be heavily lab-processed, but so long
as they’re found naturally in other foods, they fall under this category.
“Free Range”/“Cage Free”
In an effort to discourage cruelty and forcing animals to live their lives
in small cages, natural food enthusiasts and animal rights groups have
strongly encouraged only buying meat that comes from animals that are
raised on “free range” farms or “cage free” environments.
But the definition for these terms is far from what you expect. Chickens,
pigs, and other animals could be considered “free range” so
long as the door for their cages is open for just
five
minutes per day. Cage-free is similar: while it implies that these chickens live in a sunny
henhouse where they have land to explore, the reality is they live in
slightly-larger cages. There is no third-party that certifies any egg
producers are cage free at all.
“Fat Free”
Those who are looking to lose weight or lower their cholesterol will start
looking for alternatives that are free from unhealthy substances like
fats and sugars. Low-fat and fat-free foods are extremely popular as a
result. However, the deception in this title comes from the fact that
these foods don’t have to be completely fat-free to get this label.
Less than .5 grams of fat per serving could be considered “fat free”,
and foods with less than three grams of fat per serving are eligible for
the “low fat” title. This in no way implies these products
aren’t loaded up with sugars and other fat-causing substances. This
means you should really pay attention to the nutrition facts on the labels
to determine what foods are actually low-fat and healthy, not necessarily the name.
Call a Dallas commercial litigation attorney from Golomb & Honik, P.C.
if you have been the victim of a deceptive food labeling practice. Learn
more about your rights today; dial {F:P:Site:Phone} for a case evaluation.