Package: Y u lie? Y u lie 2 me?

SnuggleSmacks
SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
in Food and Nutrition
RANT:

I'm having a frustrating day with my food packaging. The serving sizes stated on several food items are not correct.

For example, I have these awesome Boulder Canyon chips made from millet and aramanth and stuff, and they say the serving size is 28g, or about 20 chips. 28g is, in fact, about 12 chips. DISAPPOINT! You would think that a company that makes a processed food of the same approximate size and shape would have some idea of how much it weighs.

Worse, I bought a bag of small "honey gold" potatoes, in part because they were lower in calories than idaho or red bliss or the other standard types. Serving size is 148g, or about 4 potatoes. Nope. You know how many potatoes make 148g? Two. Two potatoes. I could understand there being some fluctuation in size because, I mean, they're potatoes. But if ALL of the potatoes in the bag are TWICE as large as what you're labeling, shouldn't that call for relabeling?

Thank the universe that I finally bought a food scale!!!

/RANT

Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    I imagine that including the word 'about' in the nutrition label allows them to do it without getting in trouble. And of course making it look lower-cal than it is, helps generate sales.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Luckily there are times when it works in your favor. I have some dates - package says 2 for a serving but when I weigh them I get 3-4 to match the grams for a serving. I get real excited when I get an extra cracker or something based on weight. :drinker: but yep it sucks when it works against you...
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    Yep. You need to weigh, measure, and assume the worst. Food manufacturers can be off by %20. Another source I read said they could overestimate by %20. Maybe by law they can go over but not under?
  • bellevie86
    bellevie86 Posts: 301 Member
    YUP.

    Hate it when that happens. Like the veggie gyoza I bought. 3 pcs should be 60 grams but when weighed they were 65 grams. Just another reason why a food scale is a huge aid in weight loss success!


    ETA: Good thing I learned how to cross multiply and divide in school :)
  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
    At least you have the wherewithal to actually weigh your food rather than just count chips (or whatever the case may be). So many of my clients get frustrated when I point out that their measurements aren't accurate using spoons, cups, or counting pieces... but ultimately it makes all of the difference in the world!
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    At least you have the wherewithal to actually weigh your food rather than just count chips (or whatever the case may be). So many of my clients get frustrated when I point out that their measurements aren't accurate using spoons, cups, or counting pieces... but ultimately it makes all of the difference in the world!

    It's no wonder people are fat when food restaurants are telling us that these gigantic plates are a serving, and then we go home and find that the stuff in our cupboards lie in the opposite direction. It's crazy!

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