A few days back, I was explaining to a startup founder about my blog.
Me: "I help people decipher the ingredients list and nutrition facts of packaged foods, so they can make conscious food choices."
Him: "Interesting....but do you see it is making a difference?"
Me: "I hope so"
Him: "No one reads the labels. Packaged foods have become a way of life and we can't escape from it"
And the conversation continued in different directions.
It is a sad reality that most people don't read food labels. Because of this, many brands are fooling consumers in multiple ways. Be it the use of health tags, unbacked health claims, namesake mention of ingredients that are perceived to give good health etc.
Let me share yet another example of how brands exploit our attraction towards "superfoods" and target people who jump to buy anything IF oats/quinoa/kale/millets/moringa etc are mentioned in the packs.
I have already written about Saffola Fittify Gourmet Meal Shake and Meal Soup. Do take a look if you haven't yet read them.
In this post, let's look at their "gourmet" breakfast mixes.
Saffola Fittify Gourmet Quinoa upma
The pack highlights quinoa in all possible ways - how it is a superfood, natural source of protein, 9 essential amino acids etc etc. BUT look at the ingredients list and the truth reveals itself.
Roasted semolina (rava) constitutes 64%. Quinoa is ONLY 9%.
As I keep reiterating, we shouldn't blindly go with the nutrient values in gms. It is important to check for the source of the nutrient. Given that quinoa used is so less, the protein also comes from soy protein isolate (3rd ingredient).
Dehydrated veggies is around 4.2%, hardly any nutrition there.
The same story repeats in their other breakfast mixes as well.
Saffola Fittify Gourmet Quinoa poha
Rice flakes used is 58%, whereas quinoa is ONLY 7%
And the oil used is corn oil, one of the worst possible cooking oils.
Saffola Fittify Gourmet Millet upma
Semolina (rava) used is 71%, whereas mixed millets contribute ONLY 12%. It is so easy to make a millet upma WITHOUT any rava. What's the point of such ""gourmet" mixes?
Saffola Fittify Gourmet Millet poha
Rice flakes used is 67%, whereas mixed millets contribute ONLY 12%.
Clearly, this brand is so misleading. The packaging MAINLY highlights quinoa, millets and their health benefits. BUT the amounts used are so minuscule.
People who live abroad, this is the kind of "gourmet" stuff we get in India. When I talk about quinoa, oats etc, please look at the reality here in INDIA before you judge my posts. You might get the best ingredients and high quality packaged foods in the country where you live in, where there are stricter regulations and packaging norms. None of that is happening here. People are being misled by brands left, right and centre.