Lawsuit against ConAgra for misleading Spray Butter

TheRealParisLove

So if people don't think it's a can full of oil/fat, what do they *think* is in the can?

They don't know, but they're still okay with consuming copious amounts of the stuff?

Maybe they think of it like Coke Zero? A two liter bottle has zero calories. I don't trust the diet soft drinks, either, but there are some chemistry experiments on the grocery store shelves passing themselves off as calorie free foods. Believing that this is fat free is not out of the realm of possibility.

InnerFatGirl

This woman seems to be lacking in the common sense department, but yes, the label is misleading. You shouldn't need to decipher nutritional labels.

FlaxMilk

Since they are follow the law, she should sue the lawmakers if she wants to sue anyone. That might get some results.

TLCEsq

For what it's worth, I don't trust the FDA, USDA or any government agency at all. These labeling issues are but one of many examples of how they don't have citizens' health as top priority. It's all about money.

pamperedlinny

Since they are follow the law, she should sue the lawmakers if she wants to sue anyone. That might get some results.

Totally true! But good luck getting that suit heard anywhere.

ncthomas09

Ok where I agree with most people that this woman needs some common sense (she clearly has some portion control issues) and to NOT pour it all over the place I don't think they need to label the cal/fat content of the ENTIRE bottle! I could see maybe "5 sprays less than 4 cals" or whatever. I have actually seen labels like this and when I log my food I log it for a full 4 just to be safe. But you know strangely I don't see anyone complaining about the cals in some other things.

i have recently noticed that diet mtn dew says 0 cals on a 12oz can but 10 cals on a 20 oz bottle. Not the same thing as other sodas. So after I noticed this I changed diet sodas. I only drink maybe 1 a day and there are others I like but I wanted the 10 cal wiggle room in my diary. I'm sure other sodas have some cals too but they are less.

But you know even if it was listed there are some people that just flat out don't pay attention to warnings/disclaimers/etc. It's just like a majority of the lawsuits against drug companies. I worked in a pharmacy for 4 years and a good number of those drugs had packets of info attached to them. I get my prescriptions from walgreens and they print their info packet from the manufacturers packet listing all side effects and blah blah blah....you know what!!?!? People still don't read those packets and people still get ticked off when they have a side effect and people still sue the company. (Granted I know that isn't the case 100% but it is for the majority)

SingeSange

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Maybe they think of it like Coke Zero? A two liter bottle has zero calories. I don't trust the diet soft drinks, either, but there are some chemistry experiments on the grocery store shelves passing themselves off as calorie free foods. Believing that this is fat free is not out of the realm of possibility.
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Totally agree with this comment!!
Zero calories... awesome, but what's it made out of? It's similar to the new MIO product for adding flavor to water. There is not one single natural ingredient in it, so whether or not it's zero calories in actuality, the fact that it's made out of chemicals keeps me away from products like MIO and spray butter and Coke zero. I'd rather eat/ingest actual sugar and oil in my food.

rgrange

Two containers a week.

wat.

Shannota

So if people don't think it's a can full of oil/fat, what do they *think* is in the can?

They don't know, but they're still okay with consuming copious amounts of the stuff?

Why wouldn't they be? Calories in, calories out that's all that matters...

Yeah, I guess that's where I'm different from most people in that I don't think CICO is "all that matters".

I don't either but if you're told the key to losing weight is eat less, move more, that these sprays are a good alternative to the artery clogging saturated fat and then you read the label and it states zero calories I don't think it's really a lack of judgment on the part of these people who eat this crap but a lack of correct information.

It's not right in any way, shape or form that you can take 800 calories of fat and label it zero calories, zero fat. It absolutely boggles the mind that people would get upset over this women's lack of portion control or her choice to eat crap in the first place instead of the fact that our labeling laws in the US are a joke. Why have them at all if they don't have to be accurate?

We have them so that the big food companies can fool us into thinking what they are selling is healthy, when it really is not. These companies have powerful lobbies and can control legislation. Legislators work to make the big pockets happy rather than looking out for the people they are supposed to serve.

GeorgieLove708

So if people don't think it's a can full of oil/fat, what do they *think* is in the can?

They don't know, but they're still okay with consuming copious amounts of the stuff?

This. It's a bottle full of oil. The serving has few calories, because it is a spray. If someone honestly believes that half a container of oil poured on their vegetables is healthy, 0 calorie, and fat free then I cannot feel sorry for them. I use the stuff on my food at least once a week 1-2 sprays a time and it's lasted me longer than I even know (6 months, if not more?). I just bought my 3rd bottle of the stuff ever. That's like thinking it doesn't matter how much diet soda you drink because it has 0 calories. It's still stuffed full of artificial sweeteners and salt not to mention things like brominated vegetable oil. You have to be responsible for what you put into your body. If the label says 5 sprays, don't dump half a container into your food.

happyfeetrebel1

I don't feel like the woman was being dumb. If you go off of the label, which is WAY more than alot of consumers do, then what other conclusion would you be able to draw from it that it is indeed a calorie free food. I have used this stuff and had no idea.
Sure, it DOES say one spray is a serving, but if one spray is "0" calories and the packaging says it is fat free why is it such a stretch that someone would believe that it is a fat free product?

because it's 100% oil? Read the ingredients?

llstacy

I don't feel like the woman was being dumb. If you go off of the label, which is WAY more than alot of consumers do, then what other conclusion would you be able to draw from it that it is indeed a calorie free food. I have used this stuff and had no idea.
Sure, it DOES say one spray is a serving, but if one spray is "0" calories and the packaging says it is fat free why is it such a stretch that someone would believe that it is a fat free product?

because it's 100% oil? Read the ingredients?

So it's 100% oil so that makes it ok to 100% lie? Puh-leze! It's wrong and downright deceitful for a company to do this and the fact that laws were CHANGED to allow this underhanded kind of labeling goes to show exactly why the US is in the shape it's in right now both health wise and financially.

Tann19

while I agree that more details could be needed in the labeling, such as calorie content in a larger serving.

which sensible person uses two bottles a week? really, that was not how it was intended to be used, it's an oil substitute

they did nothing illegal I have seen much worse labeling, need to responsibility for our own actions and educate ourselves and stop expecting companies to do it for us. They are trying to make a profit, what are you trying to do, she was trying to find the easy way!

leeann0517

These are calories in "I can't believe it's not butter" and if you do any type of research you'll find it's 10 calories per teaspoon.

At what point do people start taking responsibility for their actions, it's a joke!!

seriously....do people live under a rock? it's not a new fact that if there are under 5 calories in a serving (which most people also don't bother to look at) it can be called zero calorie. How do all these people survive on a daily basis without a big brother looking out for them?

ScottFree_66

It's not just one lady.... according to an article on CNN today:

More than a dozen lawyers who took on the tobacco companies have filed 25 cases against industry players like ConAgra Foods, PepsiCo, Heinz, General Mills and Chobani

The suits, filed over the last four months, assert that food makers are misleading consumers and violating federal regulations by wrongly labeling products and ingredients.

The suits, filed over the last four months, assert that food makers are misleading consumers and violating federal regulations by wrongly labeling products and ingredients.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/19/business/lawyers-of-big-tobacco-lawsuits-take-aim-at-food-industry.html?exprod=myyahoo

AcetoneForever

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People need to take some responsibility in this country for their own health.
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Yes this is true, but some people are just ignorant because there are never taught about nutrition. I think it's something they should teach more about nutrition in schools (beyond the generic biology lessons of excess sugar gets stored as fat) around the world (because its also a problem here some of the things my boyfriend comes up with when I suggest we have a healthy meal together are ridiculous).

RedHeadDevotchka

I don't feel like the woman was being dumb. If you go off of the label, which is WAY more than alot of consumers do, then what other conclusion would you be able to draw from it that it is indeed a calorie free food. I have used this stuff and had no idea.
Sure, it DOES say one spray is a serving, but if one spray is "0" calories and the packaging says it is fat free why is it such a stretch that someone would believe that it is a fat free product?

because it's 100% oil? Read the ingredients?

100% oil?
First for that to be correct, that could be the only ingredient, and second, where did you read that it contains oil? Oh, the label.......so, you trust that do you?

jofjltncb6

Having given this some more thought...

While I am normally not a big fan of increased regulations/rules/requirements/etc., I can see a benefit of requiring manufacturers to include the nutritional information for the *entire container* in addition to the information for *per serving*...probably because this information would be useful to me as it should generally be more accurate than having to do the math with potentially rounded information.

jesspi68

I'm on the fence with this one.

While I agree that this woman needs a good dash of common sense to realize that it's a bottle of oil in her hands and the case should be thrown out, I hope it sparks a change in the FDA rules about package labeling.

Being able to label anything that has less than five calories per serving is absolutely ridiculous. It's why a packet/serving of Splenda says that it's zero calories but a cup of Splenda is around 190 calories. Because each serving of Splenda is 4 calories, so people bake with it thinking that they are using no calories when they aren't.

It also encourages stupid serving sizes so that companies can call their product zero calories. Like 3/4 of a pickle spear or 1/10 of a second spray, I've even seen things that were fractions of regular measurements, like 2/3 of a teaspoon.

So while I think the woman is an idiot, I also think that the FDA label guidelines in regards to zero calories products is a joke and needs to be revised. And if something like this can maybe light some fires to make that happen, then I'd get behind that.

This ^^^ Absolutely ridiculous and I have seen these stupid measurements because instead of actually making healthier foods, companies just want to look like they are making healthier foods. It's 100% purposeful misinformation. They are doing these stupid measures of serving sizes and labeling foods as zero calories specifically to try and trick people into buying them because the people are going out and looking at labels trying to be healthy.

jesspi68

I don't feel like the woman was being dumb. If you go off of the label, which is WAY more than alot of consumers do, then what other conclusion would you be able to draw from it that it is indeed a calorie free food. I have used this stuff and had no idea.
Sure, it DOES say one spray is a serving, but if one spray is "0" calories and the packaging says it is fat free why is it such a stretch that someone would believe that it is a fat free product?

because it's 100% oil? Read the ingredients?

100% oil?
First for that to be correct, that could be the only ingredient, and second, where did you read that it contains oil? Oh, the label.......so, you trust that do you?

bazinga