Share - some of the crazy, underhanded, or bizarre food labeling and packaging you've come across

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  • Char231023
    Char231023 Posts: 700 Member
    I've always thought that European labels looked kind of crazy. They get so specific!

    Also, on the HFCS topic, I've seen customers come into our store (local health food/supplement shop) shunning HFCS and damming it to hellfire and brimstone, and then immediately thereafter purchase a bag of fructose crystals from one of our bulk suppliers of "health" foods. Me and the other girl at the counter were going, "Wait, what?"

    Also, almonds. I don't know why companies label unroasted almonds grown in the USA as "raw". They're not. They're all pasteurized, using one method or another. Unless you're buying Silician or Marcona almonds or something (way more delicious than USA almonds, by the way,) they're not raw.

    I think they mean they are not toasted or roasted.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    Diet Mountain Dew.

    A 20 oz bottle is labeled 20 calories. That would make it 0.5 calories per oz. So, a 12 oz can should be 6 calories, but it's listed as zero. Not that I'm sweating the calories in diet soda, but seriously
    I actually saw a bottle at Dollar Tree labeled as 5 calories.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    All the diet mountain dew I have seen don't say 0 calories
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,412 Member
    Red Licorice package that says "fat free!!!" ummm.....yes, I guess so, but what about all that sugar? I had to laugh.
  • Char231023
    Char231023 Posts: 700 Member
    Red Licorice package that says "fat free!!!" ummm.....yes, I guess so, but what about all that sugar? I had to laugh.

    But it's not like the label said said sugar free.
  • suzyjane1972
    suzyjane1972 Posts: 612 Member
    In Norway, bags of nuts often have a warning on the label: "May contain nuts".

    In Britain bottles of milk carry a milk allergy warning....
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited May 2016
    [During the whole 'low fat' craze of the 90's and early 2000s, "low fat" was listed on many gummy and hard candies. *facepalm* I also remember an ad in Australia for a brand of gummy candies, and the ladies smile at the camera and exclaim that the candies are 100% FAT FREE!!!!!!! I think it was the 'Natural confectionery co'.
    Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese.
    Has 10% wood pulp in it, which is ok, but is it still 100% cheese?
    Yeah, cellulose...but woodpulp is stretching it, considering cellulose is the structural component of green plant cell walls (can be used to make paper and cardboard). Cellulose is also used as a filler for many medications, and is a thickener for many foods. Hmm.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 427 Member
    https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f6/a8/84/f6a884c796e15577e19f9c7a5f269ea5.jpg

    this hot sauce is pretty funny

    Unrelated to food but still a funny label was a door mat that included "Do not set door mat on fire. Do not hit pregnant women with door mat. Door mat is not edible" Someone had fun writing those silly instructions.
  • kellyjellybellyjelly
    kellyjellybellyjelly Posts: 9,480 Member
    CooCooPuff wrote: »
    Diet Mountain Dew.

    A 20 oz bottle is labeled 20 calories. That would make it 0.5 calories per oz. So, a 12 oz can should be 6 calories, but it's listed as zero. Not that I'm sweating the calories in diet soda, but seriously
    I actually saw a bottle at Dollar Tree labeled as 5 calories.

    That might be the 16.9 ounce Diet Mountain Dew.
  • JaneSnowe
    JaneSnowe Posts: 1,283 Member
    edited May 2016
    Linzon wrote: »
    I thought this was a gag gift when I first saw it.

    I know people are trying to lose weight but does it really have to come to THIS?


    whipped-peanut-butter-spread.jpg

    100% GUARANTEED for what exactly? :laugh:

    ..what exactly is that if it's free of everything? Is it a jar of peanut-scented air?

    I had to know too so I found this on the Walden Farms website:

    PeanutSpread.gif

    Basically thickeners with color and flavor added. :s
  • Dana_E
    Dana_E Posts: 158 Member
    "Fat free" oil cooking spray, margarine with hydrogenated vegetable oil labeled "trans fat free", and recently, a jar of Peter Pan brand Simply Ground peanut butter with a boatload of ingredients beyond simply peanuts and salt. Oh, and a package of Kraft Natural reduced fat cheese with artificial food coloring.
    I love reading labels.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Dana_E wrote: »
    a jar of Peter Pan brand Simply Ground peanut butter with a boatload of ingredients beyond simply peanuts and salt.

    Relevant:
    http://www.thesneeze.com/simply-jif-saga/
  • Linzon
    Linzon Posts: 294 Member
    Linzon wrote: »
    I thought this was a gag gift when I first saw it.

    I know people are trying to lose weight but does it really have to come to THIS?


    whipped-peanut-butter-spread.jpg

    100% GUARANTEED for what exactly? :laugh:

    ..what exactly is that if it's free of everything? Is it a jar of peanut-scented air?

    I had to know too so I found this on the Walden Farms website:

    PeanutSpread.gif

    Basically thickeners with color and flavor added. :s

    Yep, that is pretty bleak D:
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    EmbeeKay wrote: »
    Drives me NUTS (ha) when I see a commercial for Nutella that says it's a great, healthy spread for everyone because it's made from "ground hazelnuts, skin milk, and a hint of cocoa"... When SUGAR is the first listed ingredient and palm oil is the second! That stuff is frosting, people!
    They were actually sued for that advertising and had to pay. I don't even really like Nutella but scored some quick cash thanks to my sister!

  • AliceAxe
    AliceAxe Posts: 172 Member
    EmbeeKay wrote: »
    Drives me NUTS (ha) when I see a commercial for Nutella that says it's a great, healthy spread for everyone because it's made from "ground hazelnuts, skin milk, and a hint of cocoa"... When SUGAR is the first listed ingredient and palm oil is the second! That stuff is frosting, people!

    yup ! I love the stuff but use it as exactly that, in tiny amounts as a frosting.
  • Madwife2009
    Madwife2009 Posts: 1,369 Member
    In Norway, bags of nuts often have a warning on the label: "May contain nuts".

    In Britain bottles of milk carry a milk allergy warning....

    Just recently a UK discount supermarket had to withdraw/recall tins of herring as the labelling failed to mention that the product contained fish. The mind boggles, it really does.
  • Wophie
    Wophie Posts: 126 Member
    Not really surprising, but pretty much anything low fat has double the sugar to make up for it.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    [During the whole 'low fat' craze of the 90's and early 2000s, "low fat" was listed on many gummy and hard candies. *facepalm* I also remember an ad in Australia for a brand of gummy candies, and the ladies smile at the camera and exclaim that the candies are 100% FAT FREE!!!!!!! I think it was the 'Natural confectionery co'.
    Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese.
    Has 10% wood pulp in it, which is ok, but is it still 100% cheese?
    Yeah, cellulose...but woodpulp is stretching it, considering cellulose is the structural component of green plant cell walls (can be used to make paper and cardboard). Cellulose is also used as a filler for many medications, and is a thickener for many foods. Hmm.

    Yeah, celery stalks are pretty much all cellulose.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    edited May 2016
    Wophie wrote: »
    Not really surprising, but pretty much anything low fat has double the sugar to make up for it.
    This was discussed in another thread but this honestly hasn't been the case for the dairy I've encountered.

    According to the HEB website, Their store brand 4% cottage cheese has 4 grams of sugar. Both low fat and fat free only have 5 grams.

    Fage 2% plain Greek has 8 grams per 200g serving, their fat free yogurt has 9 grams per 227g serving. Their total Greek strained yogurt, which has around 11 grams of fat per 227g serving, has the same 9 grams of sugar.

    Both HEB shredded fat free cheddar cheese and HEB regular shredded cheddar cheese have no sugar.

    Hell, even reduced fat Oreos only have one extra gram of sugar compared to the real stuff.

    The only real issue with fat free products is taste and the fact that fat is an important macro. The whole sugar thing just sounds like some silly processed foods are the debil nonsense
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
    Oh man, the diet water is hysterical, LOL.
  • davidjohnbriggs
    davidjohnbriggs Posts: 2 Member
    zdyb23456 wrote: »
    Cheez-its says on the package that they are made with Real cheese! Makes me wonder if they weren't always.




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