Food labels are insane these days. Even many informed consumers are often thrown off with labeling such as ‘made with 100% xyz’ But take a quick look at the ingredients are well… get even more confused. And because most of these terms are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, companies can use them as they see fit.
Well, hopefully no more. Kellogg is being sued for its claim ‘made with real fruit’ for its Super Mario snacks. At first reading, you might think ‘oh hey it has lots of real fruit’ then you might think ‘oh, ‘made with’ means it’s just one ingredient’ then lastly ‘well, just how much of this is ‘real fruit?’ Actually, the average/reasonable consumer may not get to that last conclusion and children are often the target of these products, not adults, so a hurried and stressed parent might not give it much thought.
In this case, the fruit ingredient is ‘de minimis‘ and is misleading. Not only to the snacks NOT contain fruit, but it contains lots of junk (high fructose corn syrup, starches, color additives).
Do your children influence the way you shop? What about your children’s friends (ie, peer pressure?). How do you resist? My baby is only 1 year old so I have not run into this issue, but I would love to hear from other parents.