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

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Replies

  • Posts: 5,361 Member
    Sometimes I critique my sister's food diary for her, since I've been logging for years and she's relatively new and not the best at weeding out bad entries. Recently, she logged flour at a ridiculously low calorie number, and I texted her about it and she told me she got it off the label and sent me a picture. It said 100g of flour was 64 calories. I wish! (The label was just a typo, they missed the 3--flour is 364 cals/100g)
  • Posts: 6,626 Member
    edited March 2017
    Francl27 wrote: »

    I bought some shrimp at Walmart once and the package claimed that 85g of shrimp was 45 calories.

    Just no.

    It's actually not inaccurate, as the weight includes the tail/shell that is left on. So, if you weigh them right out of the bag, you're good by the time you peel, pull and eat. If not? Yeah, it's nearly double that.

    It's the same thing with canned chicken breast. The reported kcals/weight are absurdly low, until you realize that it includes the water in the can.
  • Posts: 6,070 Member

    Yep. These reviews are worth reading. Go to the one star customer reviews.

    http://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B00CMS8RQC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_show_all?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&pageNumber=1

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2DQNJRV27D3P0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewpnt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B000EVOSE4#R2DQNJRV27D3P0

    When I was 9 years old they had sugar free gummy bears made with sorbitol. My sister and I ate a large bag. Most of these descriptions are accurate of what ensued.
    The descriptions were hilarious none the less.
    I see Haribo gummy bears are at it again.
  • Posts: 5,283 Member
    jenilla1 wrote: »

    I think the serving size is ridiculous. Who eats 1.5 tortillas? You're supposed to tear one in half and leave it for the next guy? :s

    Home-baked tortilla chips? Cut each piece into 8 (jumbo-sized; I usually use the 7" ones for this) wedges and bake till crispy, so 12 chips/serving? IDK, I got nothing.
  • Posts: 5,036 Member
    raymax4 wrote: »
    I once picked up a can of pop that on the label had in all caps NO SUGAR NO ATRIFICAL SWEETENERS, 100% natural.

    I looked at the ingredients
    First was carbonated water
    Second was evaporated cane juice
    Third was fruit flavoring.

    Macrobiotic Trifecta!
  • Posts: 5,036 Member
    raymax4 wrote: »

    When I was 9 years old they had sugar free gummy bears made with sorbitol. My sister and I ate a large bag. Most of these descriptions are accurate of what ensued.
    The descriptions were hilarious none the less.
    I see Haribo gummy bears are at it again.

    There are enthusiastic 5-star reviews that are pretty good, too - variations on "WWIII Happened in my Colon" in poetic garb.
  • Posts: 160 Member
    edited March 2017
    I bought a snack-bag of peanuts and it said "may contain peanuts." MAY? MAY? I hope it bloody well does contain peanuts otherwise what the hell have I just bought? MAY?!?! Sheeesh.

    This actually happens a lot.

    Not crazy really, more annoying, is grabbing a salad or something which looks really good and low cal but when you look closer it says "per 1/2 pack" in TINY little letters. That one caught me out a few times before I realized why I wasn't losing. Not just read the packaging but read it very carefully. Sneaky little....
  • Posts: 1,106 Member
    Ocean Spray makes me laugh. Just the variety and the ensuing marketing.

    Regular cranberry cocktail - 8 ounces - 110 calories
    Diet Cranberry cocktail - 8 ounces - 5 calories
    Lite Cranberry cocktail - 8 ounces - 50 calories
    Low Cal cranberry cocktail - 8 ounces - 40 calories.

    Apparently Diet and Low calorie are not interchangeable. Lite I think refers to the amount of actual cranberry in the drink as some people find it a bit tart. Challenges like this in the grocery aisles are sometimes too difficult for me when i am in a rush!

  • Posts: 569 Member
    I once saw a package for these little "healthy" Indian and thai meals. I Can't remember the brand, but they were in these cute little cups like easy mac. I picked up one, thinking it might be good to try it for lunch. Looked at the back for nutritional info, and it had like 3-4 servings in it! Each serving was like 170 calories. I almost slammed it back on the shelf.
  • Posts: 5,199 Member
    pthyay wrote: »
    the washing instructions sown into my running shorts say WASH THIS WHEN DIRTY. (I do. It works!)

    :D:D:D:D aeons ago i bought one of those cardboard accordion thingies for keeping the sun out of your car. when i was folding it up i discovered one part of the instructions said REMOVE BEFORE PUTTING CAR IN MOTION. hee hee.

  • Posts: 75 Member
    I hate the labelling on soup cans. Never in my life have I eaten half a can of soup.

    ETA: I have eaten just two oreos, though, because I'm a freak of nature.

    I have a can of condensed soup here that contains (when prepared with added milk/water) 3.4 servings. I can't fathom how they decided on that figure... seems a bit arbitrary.
  • Posts: 4,080 Member
    pthyay wrote: »
    Not a food packaging example, but the washing instructions sown into my running shorts say WASH THIS WHEN DIRTY. (I do. It works!)

    Also not food but similar to the above...

    On a pair of cotton under wear, the washing instruction was: dry clean only. :flushed:

    I should have taken them to the dry cleaners' just to see their faces. :tongue:
  • Posts: 9,480 Member
    Dana_E wrote: »

    I remember Olestra, though I never had the privilege of trying it. It does remind me of the customer reviews on Amazon for Haribo sugar-free gummy bears. If you have ten minutes, a box of tissues, and no recent abdominal surgery, I highly recommend reading through them.

    :D I always bring up the Sugar Free Gummi Bears review to coworkers.
  • Posts: 5,036 Member

    :D I always bring up the Sugar Free Gummi Bears review to coworkers.

    Those little Tales from the Loo can bring sunshine to the dreariest workplace. :sunglasses:
  • Posts: 9,480 Member


    Okay, one of my coworkers brought this junk in to work one day and encouraged people to try it. It looked awful to me so I declined then watched everyone who tried it turn green and all but scrape their tongues clean after spitting it out! They all said it was nasty. The funny thing is the coworker that brought it in had never tried it and basically attempted to use us all a Guinea pigs to see if it was any good. Lol

    Hilarious! Ahahahahaha!
This discussion has been closed.