‘Healthy-sounding’ label claims could mislead consumers says Which?

The survey of over 1,000 people revealed that a third believed the phrase ‘real fruit’ to mean that fruit was the main ingredient, while 43 per cent believed that drinks labelled as ‘juice drink’ must contain at least a quarter fruit juice.

Which? reported that although certain terms – such as organic and free-range - are specifically defined under food labelling rules, terms like 'fresh' and 'natural' are only subject to guidance and can cause confusion for consumers.

The consumer magazine reported “certain food and drink brands are baffling people with how they market products with words such as ‘pure’, ‘fresh’, ‘natural’ and ‘real’​”

Which? cited specific examples of products using “healthy-sounding” descriptions whilst failing to highlight unhealthy aspects such as sugar content, stating that under European food law labelling and presentation of food should not mislead consumers,