Healthify your supermarket choices.
All Natural Fanta?
One of the most popular claims on food packaging in the past few years is “Natural”. From sugary snacks to TV dinners to drinks, you’ll find this unregulated term appear on processed food-like products that are as far from being natural as Manhattan is from the Grand Canyon. But since the FDA did not define when and how the term should be used, it has become a very easy to lure consumers with the associated health auro.
No surprise then to find that liquid candy, aka soft drinks, are joining the Natural Revolution:
Vice president of Sprite and flavors at Coca-Cola North America Santiago Blanco said: “The introduction of this new formulation and the new look of the Fanta line are part of our ongoing efforts to reinvigorate the sparkling beverage category in the US.”
What you need to know:
Natural does NOT mean healthy. In soft drinks, natural means that high fructose corn syrup has been replaced with sugar. Lots of sugar, that your body definitely doesn’t need.
Switching from artificial food dyes to natural colorings is to be commended, but then we ask, why did Coke been use artificial colorings all these years in the first place? [Answer: it was fractions of a cent cheaper per bottle, never mind the disturbing medical research]
What to do at the supermarket:
Our steadfast advice - save your family of 4 over $500 a year by skipping the beverage aisles at the supermarket and learning to enjoy water. It’s cheaper, healthier, and lets the flavors of your home cooked meal express themselves best.
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The best advise? “…save your family of 4 over $500 a year by skipping the beverage aisles…”
Thanks for your ongoing efforts in dispelling claims and shining light on what’s really going on!
Cheers,
Rob Smart
(a.k.a., Jambutter on Twitter)
The FDA’s definition of “natural” is quite different from the common-sense one (ain’t that a surprise…). This leaves a wide opening for weasel language.
Flavorings that are produced from bio-engineered bacteria still qualify as “natural flavors” because they come from a biological organism. Thus “strawberry soda with natural flavor” is not at all the same thing as “soda with real strawberry flavor”.
Caveat emptor, as always.
Rob – thanks. I didn’t mention it in the post, but a good bottle of wine is not considered part of the beverage aisles, and is highly recommended alongside a good meal, tap water, and good friends.
Fazal – Actually the FDA refuses to define natural. From the FDA:
“FDA has not established a formal definition for the term ‘natural’, however the agency has not objected to the use of the term on food labels provided it is used in a manner that is truthful and not misleading and the product does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances. Use of the term ‘natural’ is not permitted in the ingredient list, with the exception of the phrase ‘natural flavorings’.”