Full lies and half-truths

We ask Pritee Shah, Chief General Manager of the Consumer Education & Research Centre (CERC) to tell us about the usual suspects among misleading health food ads and unearth surprising results

Maggi Veg Atta Noodles & Maggi Oats Noodles



Claim: The campaign, endorsed by Madhuri Dixit, targets growing children and encourages them to play outdoors. It says ‘healthy need not be ‘boring’, linking Maggi noodles with a healthy lifestyle.
Fact: Our in-house laboratory tested major instant noodle brands and found them high in salt and fat, making them unhealthy, especially for regular consumption. Even in Top Ramen Oats Noodles, content of oat fibre was less than 6.8 %.
Claim: Maggi Oats Noodles has real vegetables
Fact: The dehydrated vegetables in the ‘Tastemaker’ not a significant source of nutrients in terms of quality and quantity.
Claim: ‘Maggi Veg Atta Noodles’ indicates that it is made mainly of atta.
Fact: It is mainly made up of maida or a combination of atta and maida. Maida is low in nutrition as compared to atta.

Organic Teas



Claims: ‘Natural’, ‘Contains antioxidants’, ‘Delicate and refined flavour’, ‘Strong rounded aroma with light floral flavour’, ‘100% organic’, ‘With intense infusion’ and ‘From stimulating to relaxing’.
Facts: Consumers are taken in by the advertising and pay a lot more. Organic tea brands are priced between Rs 35 and Rs 150 per 100 gms while conventional teas cost between Rs 25 and Rs 27.60 per 100 gms.
We tested 12 brands of organic tea, and though none of the brands contained pesticide residues, they contained heavy metals such as lead and copper (within the specified limits) which can have an adverse impact on health.

Chyawanprash



Claims: The eight brands we tested made varied claims such as increasing immunity, resistance and metabolic activity, improving memory and concentration and being rejuvenating. India’s popular health food is supposedly packed with Ayurvedic benefits.
Facts: Tall claims distract from the high sugar content. Sugar and honey play an important role in Chyawanprash, acting as a carrier for the herbs. All the products tested, with the exception of one sugar-free variant, were found to have more than 50% sugar. Vitamin C content varied hugely between brands – from a mere 33.4 mg per 100g to 83.2 mg per 100g.

Radikal Rice



Claim: Contains ‘healthy carbs’
Objection: Difference between the carb content in Radikal Rice and ordinary rice is not nutritionally significant. It cannot make the consumer especially energetic and active. No information regarding the Glycemic Index (GI) is present in the laboratory reports provided by the company. This index can measure how ‘healthy’ a carbohydrate is.
Claim: Packed with the power of special nutrients
Objection: No evidence of the rice containing special nutrients
Claim: Makes the consumer active and healthy
Objection: If no independent comparative study has been carried out with other brands of basmati rice in the market, what is the basis of this?

Kellogg’s Special K



Claim: “98% Fat Free”; “2 bowls, 2 weeks can make one lose up to 2.5 kg of weight”
Objection: Body weight depends on a number of factors: metabolism, genetics and lifestyle. How can you claim that a woman would become slim if she takes Kellogg’s? What would happen when she stops taking Kellogg’s after some days? The TVC makes consumers believe that the product has a special formula to help reduce weight quickly and they don’t have to do anything but consume it to shed weight. It is only when consumers buy the pack that they realize that Kellogg’s recommends a complete regimen which includes having fruits and doing moderate exercise for 30 minutes every day, among other things.