Cereal is one of the most common breakfast options in Canada. However, many Canadians have found themselves deceived by this commonly eaten food!
B.C. resident Ken Bennett, an avid hiker and recreational hockey player, craves some protein-rich cereals for breakfast. So, last month he bought Kellogg's Vector. The bold lettering on the box declares that it contains "High Protein" — more specifically, "13 grams of protein" per serving. That's exactly why Bennett chose this cereal cereal.
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Bennett was pleased with his choice until one day he was eating breakfast and noticed a line of small print on the box.
The small print reveals that one serving of Vector cereal contains only 5.7 grams of protein.
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The rest of the advertised 13 grams of protein comes from: 200ml of skim milk added to 55g of cereal.
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Bennett said, "I feel cheated!"
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As Canadians grapple with rising food prices, they are increasingly concerned about "deceptive" food marketing tactics, including "shrinkage" (reducing the weight of food without the same price or packaging), "cost savings" (using cheaper ingredients but keeping the price the same), and exaggerated claims that obscure key details.
Mary L'Abbé, professor emeritus of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, said: "This is really offensive to consumers. They really feel like they've been cheated out of their hard-earned money. ”
According to a recent report by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, 62 per cent of the 2,670 Canadians surveyed in July expressed concerns about misleading food labelling and marketing.
According to the CBC, some Canadians are unhappy with cereal packaging, such as the fact that larger boxes contain less of what is sold, and that exaggerated statements on labels may not match the actual contents.
In Canada, regulations state that food labels and advertisements cannot be misleading.
In the case of Vector cereal, Health Canada spokesman André Gagnon said that the product was not a cereal, but a "meal replacement" – a product that met specific nutritional standards.
Bennett said he thought Vector was a grain food because he bought it on the cereal shelf. He also didn't notice the words "meal replacement" in the bottom right corner of the box.
"I don't know what meal replacement means," he said. "They shouldn't do it. ”
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Although Vector's label complies with regulations, it is still misleading to sell it in supermarkets with breakfast cereals. Many shoppers consider it a grain food.
In response, the US-based company WK Kellogg said that Vector's label not only complies with the regulations, but also voluntarily discloses the protein content of no added milk on the box.
There are no blueberries in the "blueberry" cereal
Winnipeg resident Don Bajom recently purchased a box of Kellogg's Mini-Wheats Blueberry because he thought it contained blueberries. After all, this fruit is present both in the name of the product and in the picture on the box.
But when he ate it, he didn't feel right, so he checked the ingredient list and found that the cereal didn't contain blueberries at all — dried or in any other form.
"I feel like I've been deceived," he told the CBC in a written statement. "I don't think this company cares about customers. ”
According to Canadian regulations, if the real food shown on the cereal box is simulated with flavors, it must be clearly stated on the packaging.
Kellogg said the Mini-Wheats Blueberry cereal was compliant because the front of the box said "natural and artificial flavors" and the nutrition label listed all the ingredients.
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But experts still dispute the packaging of this cereal, which does not explicitly state that it does not contain blueberries, despite the fact that the bottom right corner of the box states "natural and artificial flavors".
Experts say the federal government needs to do more to help shoppers better identify food labels.