Can you believe diet frozen dessert labels?

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curtnrod
curtnrod Posts: 223 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Interesting report on the Today Show this morning. Some diet ice creams contain 40-60% more calories than their contents labels claim. The FDA allows manufacturers up to 20% variance; it you're counting calories and eating this stuff every day like I am, you may want to reconsider or make sure you leave more calorie room to compensate

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/48596412/ns/today-today_rossen_reports/t/rossen-reports-can-you-believe-diet-frozen-dessert-labels/

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  • Ekoria
    Ekoria Posts: 262 Member
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    What?! How can companies be allowed to legally do this? I don't understand how the "people" in authority think this is ok, when someone is making a conscious effort to improve their health and allow themselves a healthy treat how can they even think it is ok to mislead people like this?

    Thanks for the heads up Sam! Is this the same in the UK as it is in the USA?
  • curtnrod
    curtnrod Posts: 223 Member
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    I'll have to research Caz, pretty sure the UK has different standards but still the concern has to be how do they monitor and enforce manufacturers claims? I'll do a little research and post an update for the UK
  • Filomenaaa
    Filomenaaa Posts: 61 Member
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    WOW Thanks for sharing!
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    I avoid diet ice cream like the plague. I only eat real ice cream but in small amounts. I don't like all the artificial crap in the other stuff.
  • Tilran
    Tilran Posts: 626 Member
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    Wow!! 20%!?! I can understand 3-5% because it would be impossible to be exactlly accurate. But 20%?!?! Holy crap thanks for sharing.
  • Rayzback
    Rayzback Posts: 73
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    My heart sank..... but after watching and reading the report, still feeling good about my Skinny Cow.
  • curtnrod
    curtnrod Posts: 223 Member
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    I love fudgescicles and eat the "no sugar added" every day (different brands when on sale) as well as Skinny Cow. May have to stick to Skinny Cow from now on...
  • myraknits
    myraknits Posts: 81 Member
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    Oh crap! I knew the 100 Cal Slim a Bear Klondike bars were too good to be true.
  • curtnrod
    curtnrod Posts: 223 Member
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    What?! How can companies be allowed to legally do this? I don't understand how the "people" in authority think this is ok, when someone is making a conscious effort to improve their health and allow themselves a healthy treat how can they even think it is ok to mislead people like this?

    Thanks for the heads up Sam! Is this the same in the UK as it is in the USA?
    At a European Union level, mandatory tolerances for nutrition labeling have not been set, except in the case of the declaration of fat content in spreadable fats. Some Member States (MS) have developed national guidelines for tolerances on the declaration of vitamin and mineral content as well as for macro-nutrients such as protein and fat.

    Scary isn't it?
  • FitGirl329
    FitGirl329 Posts: 103 Member
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    I gave up full fat ice cream when I read it was one of the worst things you could eat for your diet. I might have a few bites as a treat on special occasions but that's it.

    I gave up "light" ice cream when I gave up artificial sweeteners since they're full of them.

    But this mislabeling is completely deceptive! People who include them as a regular treat could have major issues losing weight because of this kind of thing.
  • docktorfokse
    docktorfokse Posts: 473 Member
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    So what I got from this is the following:

    Today: "The diet frozen food labels weren't exactly correct, some a bit under and some a bit over. However, the Weight Watchers product was outstandingly over the label's reported calorie content."

    Weight Watchers: "Nuh-uh!"
  • Rayzback
    Rayzback Posts: 73
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    Well, this is just a look at ice cream, imagine how widespread the problem really is... I think 10% is fair, 67% over is false advertising.
  • Ekoria
    Ekoria Posts: 262 Member
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    What?! How can companies be allowed to legally do this? I don't understand how the "people" in authority think this is ok, when someone is making a conscious effort to improve their health and allow themselves a healthy treat how can they even think it is ok to mislead people like this?

    Thanks for the heads up Sam! Is this the same in the UK as it is in the USA?
    At a European Union level, mandatory tolerances for nutrition labeling have not been set, except in the case of the declaration of fat content in spreadable fats. Some Member States (MS) have developed national guidelines for tolerances on the declaration of vitamin and mineral content as well as for macro-nutrients such as protein and fat.

    Scary isn't it?

    Wow....thanks Sam...what a wake up call! I have to be honest I am now terrified lol!! I really must be more careful in the future!
  • curtnrod
    curtnrod Posts: 223 Member
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    Think about this, we're all eating food every day, trusting the labels and losing weight. You gotta believe that most of them are accurate right? Otherwise we would be posting in another forum complaining that we're eating right and not losing weight.

    That being said, the less processed food you eat, the better off you will be. I mean, you can't be very far off on the nutrition of fresh fruits and veggies. :)

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