We are accustomed to the fact that a large quantity of the products that we buy look attractive and colorful containers where, almost always, the fruits take on an absolute relevance. Does this type of advertising influence our eating habits? Do we really know what we buy or suggest the “trap labels” of certain foods?

After reviewing more than 40 products that presume to contain fruit as a main ingredient, the OCU is clear: the fruit remains only on demand and unfortunately, in many cases, end up inducing the buyer to cheat.

Well, it seems that the fresh and healthy appearance offered by certain food packages that are really full of aromas, dyes or sugars, it does influence when filling our shopping cart. One reason why the OCU has launched the campaign # tracingstrap where it tries to denounce the advertising hoax that is used to present certain foods as healthy.

And it is not uncommon to find products such as soft drinks, juices, cereals or yoghurts, among many others, where the presence of fruit is minimal and, however, look tagged full of images with these foods to promote a healthier appearance. Are we facing deceptive advertising within the legally permitted?

The OCU has it clear, in many of these products the amounts of added sugars triples the quantities of fruit that the food contains and, nevertheless, it is sold to us as a healthy product, through a fresh and appetizing container when the reality is that , except in rare cases, these products do not exceed 2% fruit content.

What is needed is to eat fruit, not processed foods that boast of having it and in whose composition the fruit is only a percentage almost residual, despite its name or the photos of the container

Within the OCU campaign we can see different examples of products that highlight images of healthy ingredients in their packaging and when they really barely contain them.

Claim of the OCU

For this reason, through the campaign #etiquetastrampa, the OCU denounces the need to demand a minimum percentage of fruit content to be included in the labeling of the product, without resorting to the use of flavors and colors as a strategy to make a presence visible of fruits.

In this way, it invites that the products that contain outstanding images of fruits in their containers, corroborate in their labeling the real content of the same, so that what is advertised in the format really corresponds with one of the main ingredients of the product.

They also ask that certain changes be adopted in the regulations to avoid resorting to the classic advertising formulas of “flavor to” that allow violating the prohibition of advertising through images the presence of certain ingredients that the product does not contain.

And what do you think: do we really know what we buy or suggest the “trap labels” of certain products? A campaign that aims to end advertising deception through deceptive labels that invite you to think about “what really is not there”.