Parenting Australia

By Sharon Thurin CEO and founder of Slim Secrets (www.slimsecrets.com.au)

When you're shopping in the supermarket, you may notice that food packages are often labelled with the latest buzz words. Depending on the trend at the time suddenly words and logos appear for e.g. "ALL NATURAL”, “MADE WITH REAL FRUIT” or “WHOLE GRAINS” plastered the fronts of cereal boxes, snacks and even breads! Now with the media's attention on the harmful effects of Tran’s fats, many food manufacturers are trying to draw your attention to the fact that their product is free of Tran’s fats even it is full of other nasties. No matter what the fad is—low-carb, fat-free, organic, or all natural— many manufacturers will try to lure you into buying their product. But, while food manufacturers can't lie to you about the nutrition and ingredients of their products, they can easily mislead you into thinking something is healthier than it really is. This particularly relates to many of the kid’s snacks sitting on our shelves today.

Reading and understanding a nutrition label doesn’t require a degree in nutrition, but it does require that you look beyond the fancy claims on the front of the prodct. If you know how to read between the lines of the marketing spin, you too can know how to make the most nutritious choices without having to read the fine print.

By law, food labels must be truthful. But manufactures can pick and choose which facts to highlight and spin. As a consumer, your best option is to disregard the claims on the front of the package because, while they may be true, it may not tell you the whole story.

Whilst a product may be labelled “all natural” for example it is important to check if the sugars, fats and sodium fall within an acceptable level. A product may be labelled “high fibre” but if you look at the nutritionals it is also high in sugar for example.

Whilst we still believe that snacks such as fruit, vegetables or similar are a better alternative for kids we know that they will not always satisfy their cravings. Kid’s snacks that have been approved by canteen and healthy kids associations such as the new Supa Secrets snack range are the type of kid’s snacks to look for and provide a snack that offers genuine benefits to fuel their active, growing bodies!