Food Label Claims: True, Misleading, Or Outright Lies?

Consumers face a barrage of confusing, sometimes dubious, claims on food labels. This could end up harming consumer trust in the food value chain, and substantially damaging the industry and the environment.

The increase in questionable claims on labels aimed at product differentiation has become a concern for academics, regulators and consumers around the world. A walk down the aisles of a supermarket will reveal interesting marketing claims on product packaging – some valid, others spurious at best.

Capitalising on the bombardment of marketing messages, some companies have become involved in deceptive marketing that exploits consumer confusion by insinuating that their products are superior to equivalent products on the market.

How many times have we seen the following claims: “All-natural, organic, hormone-free, GMO-free, antibiotic-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, eco-friendly, detox, zero trans-fats, new and improved, guaranteed results”, and many more? In the context of sustainable food production and food security, it has never been more important to have trustworthy and understandable label information on food packaging. Consumers face confusing and conflicting language that tends to overshadow the real nutritional benefits of food. For example, there is simply no difference between the nutritional value of conventionally grown food and organic crops. Yet how many consumers understand this and make the distinction between nutritional value and a production method? Do consumers really know what it means for their food to be antibiotic-free, or whether it would be ethically acceptable to leave a sick animal to suffer if it could be treated with antibiotics?

SHORT-TERM PROFIT GAINS 

Instead of creating misleading food labels as a means of short-term differentiation and profit gains, we should be educating consumers to make informed food choices.