Many products using the unregulated 'natural' health claim are high in saturated fat, sugar and/or salt according to a study.
LiveLighter analysed the nutritional quality of 331 supermarket foods with the words ‘natural’ or ‘nature’ on the packaging and found that almost half were not a core part of a healthy diet, as recommended by the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.
Moreover, of the 97 ‘natural’ foods found in the snack food aisles, almost 9 out of 10 were found to be unhealthy and should not regularly be part of a healthy diet, according to LiveLighter, a program developed in Western Australia which aims to encourage adults to lead healthier lifestyles.
Despite this, more than three in five Australian adults said they were more likely to buy food or drinks described as ‘natural’.
LiveLighter said it searched Coles and Woolworths online for products which include the word natural, nature or nature’s in the brand or product name or on the item’s packaging. A total of 603 products were found across the supermarkets’ online shopping websites. This included 272 non-food items.
LiveLighter Victoria campaign manager and Accredited Practicing Dietitian Alison McAleese said the results indicated that natural doesn’t always equal healthy.
“Just because something says it’s natural, doesn’t mean it’s good for you,” McAleese said. “The word natural can be very hard to define and in Australia there are no clear guidelines for its use on food and drink products, leaving manufacturers free to use the word in a way consumers might not expect.”
“We found that ‘natural’ is most commonly used on products like snack bars, muesli bars, chips, lollies, crackers and biscuits located in the snack food aisles of the supermarket,” she said.
“Unfortunately, the majority of these items are high in saturated fat, sugar and/or salt and should not be eaten on a regular basis.”
Food and drink products carrying natural claims
- 47 per cent of natural claims were found on discretionary foods (foods high in saturated fat, salt and/or added sugar) including snack bars and muesli bars, chips, crackers, biscuits and lollies.
- 21 per cent were found on dairy products including yoghurt, milk and cheese.
- 16 per cent were on meat and alternatives including fish, eggs, nuts and legumes.
- 10 per cent were on grain foods including breakfast cereals, quinoa and bread.
- 5 per cent were on fruit.
- 2 per cent were on water.
- 1 per cent were on vegetables including legumes and beans.
