January 19, 2011
When Companies Pull A Fast One
First things first, the two boxes pictured above, as well as below are as follows. On the left is a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese Spirals, weighing in at 5.5 ounces, and on the right a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese Original, weighing in at a whopping 7.25 ounces.
I was originally planning to write about how companies deceive people by putting less product in their packaging instead of raising their prices, however, when I began to fully read the side of the box, I was more than shocked. I was utterly appalled at what I found.
Before I fully explain this, here is an additional picture of the opposite side of the boxes.
Okay, if you don't know where I'm going with this, keep reading. The box on the left, the spiral pasta, it clearly shows the "Suggested Prep", unsalted butter, and non-fat milk. A quote, end quote "healthy alternative", that is, as opposed to the "Classic Prep" directions. Now on the other side of the same box of spiral shaped pasta, lists out the Nutrition Facts. Everything here seems copacetic. The Nutrition fact numbers, not percentages now, all line up with the Suggested Prep directions. The amount of Total Fat is 3.5 grams, Saturated Fat is 1.5 grams and the Calories in actual numbers shows us that it contains 290 "As Prepared". Nothing to write home about. These nutrition facts seem to coiside with the Suggested Prep Directions.
But now, humor me for a moment. The box on the right, the box of original shaped pasta, clearly shows us the "Classic Prep" directions, using Margarine, and 2% milk. Now, take a look at the other side, the side where the Nutrition Facts are located. The total calories listed "As Prepared" are 410. The amount you would have, if you followed the directions located at the top of the box, on the opposite side, the "Classic Prep" directions. So here is my question, why are the other numbers, such as Total Fat and Saturated Fat, listed as the "Light Prep" directions? Located next to those numbers is a lonely little asterick, where as you would need to scroll to the bottom of the box, to find out what that asterick means. I will tell you, that if you follow the directions, you will not have 3.5 grams of fat, you will have 19 grams of fat. This is what they don't want you to know, which is the reason for that little astrick.
But wait, there's more. If you look at the nutrition facts and compare it to the other side of the box, at the bottom, where it states, "Nutrition Comparison", these numbers are not the same as the nutrition facts. Okay, so which one is correct? Do we go by the 3.5 grams of Total Fat in the Nutrition Facts guide, or do we go by the 6 grams of fat as it's listed in the Nutrition Comparison list?
The people in charge of writing these labels need to be held accountable. No consumer can fully understand these labels as they are currently written. I think it's time to call ALL of these companies out on their slick ways of wording, and demand more.
Have you noticed weird wording on your packages, or numbers that just make no sense? Leave a comment, and let these companies know that this isn't going to fly!
1 comments:
I could be wrong, but I don't think the 3.5 grams of fat listed on either box refers to the light preparation. I think it refers to the in-box amount, as in before you prepare it (i.e. add anything to it) at all. On the spiral box, it's called "as packaged" and on the other, it's called "in box." But they both refer to the same thing. (You can see that the percentages on the spiral box for "as packaged" and "as prepared" are different -- 5% versus 8% -- and on the nutrition comparison chart, it says that the amount of fat for the suggested light prep is 5 grams. Not 3.5 grams.) It is a little confusing because of the different wording, but on both boxes, the actual gram numbers (and the first percentage on each line) listed are for the food product that is in the box, before it's been prepared in any way. (I'm guessing they're required by law to print those numbers, because theoretically you could add anything you wanted to the product. They can only guarantee the nutritional content of the stuff that's in the box.) Only the second percentage on each line refers to the suggested preparation. To see actual gram numbers for preparation -- on either box -- you have to check the classic/light comparison chart.
What's odd is that the suggested prep is the classic prep on one and the light prep on the other. That's probably what adds to the confusion. I'm not sure why they don't just stick with one or the other as the 'suggested' prep. But I don't think it's incorrect or even misleading, personally. I'm not sure I did any better job of explaining the listings than they did, and it took me two long paragraphs! I think they were as specific/clear as they could be without cluttering up the listings and thus making them even more confusing. They gave the info for unprepared, light prep, and classic prep on both boxes. I think this is more a case of misreading than misleading. Could they do more to prevent people from misreading? Maybe, but not much in my opinion.
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