Symbol of Trust 
Imagine we are strolling through the aisles of our local grocery store, foraging for healthy food. We have a busy week ahead and need to prepare breakfast, not only for us, but our children as well. We search for an easy breakfast option. I’m talking about “breakfast cereal”. In an attempt to be a health conscious person we look for the “Health Check” label endorsed by the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation or similar foundations in countries all over the world. If the Heart and Stoke foundation deems a product healthy, it must be great for us, right? Not so fast…
Gold Standard
If the barriers to enter the manufactured food market weren’t so grand, we could all benefit from this “health label” system. If we pretend for a moment that we have created a food product (processed foods that is) and are looking to increase our sales of that product then we should look no further and the “health check” label. All we would have to do is tweak our product so that it fits into a set of criteria outlined by the Heart and Stroke Foundation. If we pay a great food scientist to pull this off, we would earn the right to use the Health Check Label on our product. Once we earn the right to use the “Health Check” Label we are pretty much assured to have a profitable product. Food manufacturers know just how to cash in on a conflicted, health conscious market as they repeat this cycle again and again. How else could a breakfast cereal with a carb count of 35 grams per 1/4 cup be able to sport the “health check” label? Unreal!
Nutritional Fudging…..
Here are the general criteria we must follow to earn a “Health Check” label (insta-cash checkmark). Further specifications are provided for different types of food.
General criteria
- Product must conform to maximum allowances for levels of sodium, saturated and trans fats, sugar (sounds logical)
- Also stipulates a minimum requirement for fiber (got to have fiber)
- More specific criteria can be found here
What about a limit on carbohydrates?
The maximum values for macronutrient content are irrelevant, because not all factors are considered. Current research has indicated that consumption of “processed carbohydrates” are a key contributor to obesity, increased blood pressure, and general weight gain. How could such a crucial macronutrient, responsible for increasing rates of obesity be overlooked? There are many reasons, but money plays the most important role. Processed carbohydrates are cheap and food manufacturers make a killing off selling us food that is not real.
Use Common Sense
Well the obvious answer is that all the food products that are manufactured and in search of the “Health Check” are carbohydrate laden! We should be smart enough know that and we definitely do not need the “Health Check” to know if something is ‘healthy’. The problem is that we are creatures of habit, and if we keep hearing the same message over and over, we believe it.
Be Your Own Judge
We as intuitive humans should be able to decipher what is healthy and what is not. Was in made in a factory? Is it packed with process carbs? Instead of inhaling the ‘Health Check’ cereal or serving it up to our children, why not try the real food. Yes this means that we may have to spend more time preparing a meal, but in the end it’s our health – so that’s a worthy cause – isn’t it?
I would love to give my child the right food in the mornings but I can’t seem to beat the magic of sugary Fruit Loops!
Please let me know if you ever find the secret
Raymond
I don’t have any kids of my own yet, but I grew up on Fruit Loops, Captain Crunch and many others. That may have been my biggest problem in the first place!
Raymond,
Out of interest did you grow up on sugary cereals? I’m not sure if you have them over there but for me it was sugar puffs. How can those be good… they sound like they could make me put on weight just by listening to their name. If simply putting your foot down and saying no and not buying those things is not an option just try showing your kids what they will eventually do to them. Next time you pass someone who looks really unhealthy and unhappy in the street ask your kids if they want to be like that and when they say no create some associations between the cereals and that person’s health…. just a couple of ideas.
I think it’s deplorable the devious techniques food companies use to trick people into thinking their food is healthy. The best bet is to stick to foods which do NOT come in a box or package, e.g., whole foods, fruits, and vegetables!
Robin,
It really isn’t deception anymore. It is probably closer to inception the way media can plant a message in our mind! Most people don’t even think twice about health claims, and it is tough to blame them. There is so much money in the food marketing industry, making it is easy for great marketers with deep pockets to control the average consumer.