Sunday Aug 16, 2009
Big Fat Lies
When is zero not really zero? When it's defined by the FDA. Did you know that the FDA allows food manufacturers to claim their product has zero grams of trans fat, but still allows them to have up to half a gram of trans fat per serving?
Neither did I, until now.
Here's a good example. The butter substitute, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, made by the Unilever company, claims zero trans fat on its label. But not so. It pushes the half-gram limit. And frankly, I don't know which is worse: the Unilever company for lying, or the FDA for perpetrating a hoax and committing fraud on the American public.
I suppose I find this bit of larceny especially irritating since I've been buying the product for several years, believing I was paying for a healthier alternative.
So, to the management and stockholders of Unilever, listen closely. Did you hear it? That was the sound of my money buying Smart Balance Buttery Spread as I tell the nice person next to me in the checkout line about your deceptive advertising and how many tubs of your trans-fat laced gunk I bought in an effort to provide my family with a healthy diet.
Unilever has recently admitted their "oversight," and have promised to make the product live up the claims of the label. I'll make them a deal: I'll start buying I Can't Believe It's Not Butter again when the CEO of Unilever chows down on a full gallon of the stuff...at one sitting.
Bon appetit!
Posted at 03:10PM Aug 16, 2009 by Jill Reid in General |
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