Label fraud - "No added sugar" my ass! Negative Golden Windbag Award goes to fruit snack for children from Alete
Even if the sugar in the snack is only fruit sugar, Foodwatch stated that this should not be evaluated better than household sugar in processed products. Unhealthy eating in childhood can lead to serious health conditions such as Type-2 Diabetes in later life. The consumer organization called on the German government to introduce advertising restrictions on junk food for children's protection and to extend this to packaging design.
The manufacturer of the Alete product, the dairy conglomerate Deutsche Milchkontor (DMK), responded to Foodwatch's criticism and stated that there is an "enhancement of natural (fruit-)sugar" in the fruit gums. The company classifies the fruit gums as a "sweet snack" and not as a fruit supplement. According to the information provided, the packaging states that children should only consume one portion, which is a handful of fruit gums per day. This corresponds to five grams of the snack per day. The information is allegedly "transparently listed in the nutritional table".
Goldener Windbeutel, Place 2: 44 Percent Price Increase through "Shrinkflation"
Five products were nominated for the Golden Windbeutel by Foodwatch. In second place, with almost 27 percent of the votes, was the Cremissimo Bourbon Vanille Ice Cream from Langnese. Foodwatch considers this to be a particularly cunning example of shrinkflation. The manufacturer Unilever reduced the packaging size from 1300 milliliters to 900 milliliters, but kept the price of 3.99 Euro. Foodwatch therefore speaks of a price increase of 44 percent.
Unilever responded to the nomination upon request from the news agency AFP, stating that the company is reacting to the increasing demand for smaller product variants in its range with the reduced content. The 900-milliliter packaging is a solution for households with lower ice cream demand or smaller freezers. The prices were also adjusted throughout the Cremissimo product line and took into account several factors, "including recipe improvements and the use of sustainable raw materials".
Place 3: Vegan Mortadella
The Vegan Schinken Spicker Mortadella from Rügenwalder Mühle took third place. Foodwatch considers the label "Based on Sunflower Seeds" to be misleading because the product only consists of sunflower protein to the tune of only two percent.
Rügenwalder sees no deception of consumers in this, as the company explained. The packaging always lists the ingredient that replaces the meat as the nutritional source. This does not necessarily have to be the ingredient with the largest proportion. The vegan mortadella received 11.1 percent of the votes.
Pretty Little Meal Bar from Offset Nutrition took the fourth and fifth places with 2.9 percent and 2.2 percent of the votes, respectively. Foodwatch criticized Offset Nutrition for marketing its bar as a "main meal replacement" in social media. In reality, it contained almost five sugar cubes. The "Hot Tin of Champignon Cream" from GB Foods Deutschland received criticism from Foodwatch for containing too little vegetable content.
Foodwatch awarded the Golden Windbeutel for the 13th time. The consumer organization has been engaged in labeling fraud for a long time and demands improved labeling regulations.
- The 'Goldener Windbeutel' award nominated the 'Golden Cream Puff' from a certain bakery, which saw a 44% price increase due to "shrinkflation" by Unilever, the product's manufacturer.
- Federal Government and Foodwatch, a consumer organization, have been urged to imply advertising restrictions on junk food for children's protection, extending this to packaging design.
- The 'Golden Cream Puff' was noted as a particularly cunning example of shrinkflation, as the manufacturer, Unilever, reduced the product's packaging size while keeping the price.
- Unilever defended its price increase, attributing it to a response to rising demand for smaller product variants and adjustments to several factors, such as recipe improvements and sustainable raw materials use.
- The Federal Government and Foodwatch have vocalized their concern regarding negative pricing strategies like this in certain products, like the 'Golden Cream Puff', which poses health risks to children and misleads consumers.
- Alete, a baby food product manufactured by DMK, faced criticism from Foodwatch for advertising its product as a fruit supplement, despite containing more sugar than household sugar in certain processed products.
