Truth in Advertising – Real? Plain?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Smart Balance. However, their latest advertising campaign is very disappointing and somewhat offensive. I got started after hearing it on television, “fat free milk with omega-3’s.” Really? How’s that happening? In case you aren’t aware, omega-3’s are fat. So, rather than go off half-cocked (I know, even I can grow), I went to their website to see how they are making that claim.  Below is the result. Maybe a government employee or a lawyer could justify this, but I think it doesn’t pass the common sense test. Either 1 gram of fat doesn’t count as fat, so what benefit are you getting from those omega-3’s, or fat free doesn’t mean fat free, which we already know, as you can have less than one gram of trans fats and claim something is trans fat free.

My next complaint is below the food label, so scroll down.

Real fat free milk (1g total fat from Omega-3 oil blend)

I went to Aldi’s and bought their Fit & Active “plain yogurt”. What would you expect to see on an ingredient label for plain yogurt? Just milk and cultured bacteria, right? Not this one:

Cultured pasteurized grade A nonfat milk, modified corn starch, whey protein concentrate, carrageenan, pectin, calcium chloride, potassium sorbate(to maintain freshness), Vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3.

I don’t have a problem with some of the added ingredients, milk is routinely fortified with Vitamins A & D, whey and calcium are not harmful, although I haven’t heard of using calcium chloride for a calcium source, usually it is calcium carbonate or citrate. It is the modified corn starch,pectin and carrageenan that bother me. All three are thickeners, yet this product is soupier than most yogurt.

I’ll let you in on a little yogurt secret-Greek yogurt- you know, that fancy stuff that costs more? Well, it is just regular yogurt that has had some of the whey drained out. You can make it at home by straining plain yogurt. That is, unless it is Fit & Active plain yogurt. All those added ingredients make it behave far differently than real yogurt.

If you have any of these oxymorons, please share them. I don’t know if we can do anything about it, other than being aware. The power of the internet is information, so maybe we can get these guys on their toes.