You are what you eat. So have you any idea what you are?

The Herald - November 8 2006

ELEANOR COWIE and REBECCA McQUILLAN

It's 8pm on a weekday evening and you're traipsing the aisles of your local supermarket. You pile the trolley with all the usual necessities, until you get to the yogurt aisle. You're about to sling the usual multi-pack of children's yogurts into the basket when suddenly you stop. The packaging is bright and emblazoned with children's illustrations, and you know they'll love it, but what's actually in it? It says low fat, but what about its sugar content, and what's E951 when it's at home?

It can seem that understanding packaging and labels on food requires a qualification in nutrition. First, shoppers are drawn in by product claims made by advertisers, but when it comes to examining those claims further, on the nutritional labels of the product itself, the information can seem like code or gobbledegook.

The claims made for products, on packaging and in advertising, are governed by industry watchdogs, the key two being Trading Standards and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

A fine illustration of a watchdog at work was last week's ruling by the ASA on Danone, maker of Actimel, a yogurt drink. The ASA ruled on October 31 that an Actimel advert wrongly implied the drink could help protect children from bacterial infections. The advert, which featured a child licking a bus window and her mother pulling her away, included a voice-over saying: "There's bad bacteria everywhere, but kids will be kids … Actimel tops up their natural good bacteria, making life harder for the bad bacteria … Help support their natural defences."

After investigating complaints from viewers, the ASA found the commercial was in breach of a rule relating to accuracy in food advertising. The advert, said the ASA, could give viewers a misleading impression "that Actimel could help prevent children from catching bacterial infections". It ordered Danone not to show the advert again.

Such rulings can create an air of suspicion among consumers, who must try to negotiate the minefield of food labelling on their own. And what a lot there is to know. For instance, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the law doesn't say what "light" or "lite" means, and so manufacturers may use these terms to give the impression that a food has less fat or fewer calories than similar foods. The key is to check the nutritional information panels, not just to take the claims on face value.

Manufacturers are required by law to give nutritional information if the label also makes a nutritional claim such as "low fat" or "high fibre"; some give it voluntarily. If carried, the panel must show the amount of each of the following per 100g or 100ml of food. The key categories are energy (in kJ and kcal), protein, carbohydrate, fat (all in g), plus the amount of any nutrient for which claims have been made. Some manufacturers also put in the levels of certain nutrients per serving.

Earlier this year, the FSA, in a bid to make it easier for shoppers to choose healthy options, introduced the "traffic-light labelling" system, which has been adopted already by Waitrose, Sainsbury's and the Co-op; ASDA is planning to bring it in and Boots is also supportive of the scheme.
But what can be baffling to customers is the array of other substances in food. The term "E-numbers" has become a byword among many people for processed horribles, but is that fair? It refers to additives performing a specific function. If a food additive has been allocated an E-number, this shows it has passed safety tests and been approved for use throughout the European Union. This approval is monitored, reviewed and amended in the light of new scientific data.

Most food additives must be included in the ingredients list, which also tells you what job an additive does. They include antioxidants (which make food last longer - such as vitamin C, E300); colours (common ones include caramel, E150a, which is used in products such as gravy; and curcumin, E100, a yellow colour from turmeric root); sweeteners, emulsifiers (to help mix ingredients together), stabilisers (to help stop them separating again), gelling agent and thickeners. Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (aka MSG, E621) bring out flavours; preservatives (eg, sulphur dioxide, E220, to stop mould growing on dried fruit) are also common. Flavourings don't have E-numbers: they are controlled by different laws.
E-numbers are approved substances, but that's not to say that there are never any disputes over them. Aspartame, also known as E951, has been linked to a range of health problems, including most recently to cancer in rats - that claim prompted a review by the European Food Safety Authority in May last year, which concluded that there was "insufficient evidence" to suggest aspartame could increase the risk of cancer in humans. The key point is that doubts over safety have to be investigated.

But the labelling confusion does not end there. The term "vegetarian" or "suitable for vegetarians", for instance, can mean different things on different products. It usually means it doesn't contain meat or animal-derived products such as gelatin, but it's best to check the label to be sure.
Increasingly, manufacturers are making health claims for their products, but there, too, there is cause to be wary. According to the FSA, there is currently no specific legislation about health claims in the UK, but the law does require that any claim must be true and not misleading. The FSA encourages manufacturers who want to make health claims for their food to follow the Code of Practice on Health Claims, and many do, although it is voluntary. However: "Labels are not allowed to claim that food can treat, prevent or cure any disease or medical condition. These sorts of claims can only be made for licensed medicines."

Health claims are not the only disputed areas. In 2002, the FSA issued guidelines for the food industry and food law enforcement authorities on how the terms "fresh", "pure" and "natural" should be used. In 2004, the FSA checked to see if the guidance was being followed. The survey showed that some producers were continuing to use some of the terms in ways that were potentially misleading to consumers. So: beware.
And how many people can tell their "best befores" from the "display untils"? According to the FSA, "best before" dates are usually used on foods that last longer, such as frozen, dried or canned foods. If you throw up your hands in horror when a parent or laidback friend digs out soup from the back of the cupboard that's past its "BB", you can relax a little - it should be safe to eat, but the food will no longer be at its best. After this date, the food might begin to lose its flavour and texture. There are exceptions - eggs for one, as they can contain salmonella which might start to multiply after that date.

"Use by", on the other hand, means just that. It is usually found on foods that go off quickly, such as milk, fish and ready-prepared salad. If you eat them after that date, you are genuinely putting your health at risk. "Display until" dates tell staff when to remove a product from show.
The regulation of food labelling falls to Trading Standards (which shouldn't be confused with the FSA, which is responsible for food-industry policy). In Scotland, anyone who wants to make a complaint against a company about one of its food labels has to do so through the environmental health department of their local authority; in England, it is done directly through Trading Standards.

Advertising claims are governed by the Advertising Standards Authority, which applies strict rules. "If an advertiser wants to make a factual claim about their product, as opposed to merely stating opinion, they must have documentary evidence to back their claim up," says Matthew Wilson of the ASA.

The ASA believes we can have faith in modern-day adverts. "The advertising standards in the UK are some of the highest in the world," says Wilson.