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62 sneaky ingredients mislead sugar alternative names labelling

62 sneaky ingredients out to mislead you

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It’s common knowledge that sugar is to be avoided, but if only it were that simple. Did you now there are at least 62 words food manufacturers can use, instead of simply saying sugar?

Many of the words on the list, such as Golden syrup and HFCS may be obvious no-no’s, but what about less common words, such as Ethyl maltol and Panocha. Would you immediately know that these ingredients were essentially sugar?

Agave nectar
Barbados sugar
Barley malt/ Barley malt syrup
Beet sugar
Brown sugar
Buttered syrup
Cane juice/ Cane juice crystals
Cane sugar
Caramel
Carob syrup
Castor sugar
Coconut palm sugar/ Coconut sugar
Confectioner’s sugar
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup/ Corn syrup solids

62 sneaky ingredients mislead sugar alternative names labelling
Date sugar
Dehydrated cane juice
Demerara sugar
Dextrin
Dextrose
Diastatic malt
Diatase
Ethyl maltol
Evaporated cane juice
Free Flowing Brown Sugars
Fructose
Fruit juice/ Fruit juice concentrate
Galactose
Glucose/ Glucose solids
Golden sugar
Golden syrup
Grape sugar
HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup)
Honey
Icing sugar
Invert sugar
Lactose
Malt/ Malt syrup
Maltodextrin
Maltol
Maltose
Mannitol
Mannose
Maple syrup
Molasses
Muscovado
Palm sugar
Panocha
Powdered sugar
Raw sugar
Refiner’s syrup
Rice syrup
Saccharose
Sorbitol
Sorghum Syrup
Sucrose
Sugar (granulated)
Sweet Sorghum
Syrup
Treacle
Turbinado sugar
Yellow sugar

Whilst clearly it’s best to go for natural foods that don’t need labels, I can’t ever imagine a day where packaged foods aren’t commonplace. So surely those who buy them should be armed with full, honest information about the contents of these products, so they can make an informed decision?

It’s a shame manufacturers are allowed to be so misleading. Wouldn’t it be simpler if they perhaps had to use the word sugar, and follow that with the specific type of sugar? I can imagine many time-poor households trying to make good food choices – despite their best intentions, they can easily end up buying sugar laden foods.

Sugar can be a really confusing topic, especially when even healthy blogs use natural sugars in recipes (I put my hands up to this too, though in my recipes the natural sugar tends to be an optional addition). But are natural sugars actually any better for you – I’ve written the definitive guide to paleo sweeteners to help clear this up.

What’s your take on these sneaky misleading alternative words for sugar?

Paleo diet but it's natural nature food products label labelling

But it’s natural!

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If you’ve strayed from the perimeter of your local grocery store, you can’t have missed the endless products screaming at you that they are “natural”. The labels often heavily feature the colour green, which we associate with nature, and may even show images of endless fields in perfect sunsets. Often the packaging will be brown and have a recycled feel – it’s natural after all. Buy it! Buy it!

But what does natural actually mean? If something is natural, it has to be good for you, right? My view of “natural” is something that hasn’t been altered at all and is entirely in its natural state, like an organic banana. A survey last year by the Consumer Reports National Research Centre found that 60% of respondents actively looked out for “natural” labels, with 66% of those people believing it meant the product contained no artificial ingredients, no pesticides and no genetically modified organisms. Surely that’s a pretty reasonable understanding of a “natural” food?
Paleo diet but it's natural nature food products label labelling
Alarmingly there are no official definitions about what “natural” means on food labels, nor are there any Australian food standards governing how and when the term may be used.

Looking in my local Coles supermarket, I found a Jalna Fat Free Natural Yoghurt, in which the first two ingredients are “Pasteurised Skim Milk and Non-fat milk solids”. I also found a Natural Muesli by The Muesli Company, which contains Preservative 220, rolled oats and dried fruits (processes which surely take the raw ingredients away from their original, natural state?).

Another favourite, is Water Thins Natural Mini Crispbread. The ingredients… Wheat Flour, Cheese Powder [Milk Solids, Cheese Solids (Milk, Salt, Starter Culture, Enzymes), Mineral Salts (339, 331), Salt, Food Acid (330)], Salt, Vegetable Oil, Raising Agents (500), Rye Flavour. Salt? Perhaps the salt is natural? And how about Natural Glace Cherries? Guess what they contain? Cherries (60%), Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Food Acid (330), Natural Flavour, Natural Colour (163), Preservatives [202, 211, 220 (contains sulphites)]. So, I suppose they’re 60% natural…

None of the products I’d found mentioned being organic (which is what I’d consider natural) – and as for processed ingredients, additives, flavourings and preservatives, “natural” seems to be a total farce.

So what’s the answer? Well – as I’ve spoken about before – if it has a label, it’s far less likely to be natural and healthy than something with no label. And if the label makes health claims, you should probably not buy it.

What would you expect a “natural” food label to mean? Do you think there should be more rules about the labels food manufacturers are allowed to put on their products?

Paleo Diet Primal Are You Eating GMO's genetically modified organisms Monsanto Australia-min

Are You Eating GMO’s?

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What are GMO products?

They are foods that are made from genetically modified organisms, specifically genetically modified (GMO) crops. It first began in 1994 when a tomato was produced with an alteration that prevented it from ripening quickly.

What are the concerns with altering the natural growing process?

The first concern is not just what it necessarily does to your body, but what it can do to the entire crop that is being altered. If one of the plants is effected by a virus, then modifying the plant can spread the disease to the rest of crops. On a large scale this could be devastating not only for the farmer who is harvesting the crops, but it can be devastating on a larger scale.

Another genetic alteration that chemists and farmers make, is to change their crop so that it will stand conventional herbicides and pesticides.
Paleo Diet Primal Are You Eating GMO's genetically modified organisms Monsanto Australia-min
Some countries have raised their awareness of the harmful alterations that have been made to crops that they have banned it. New Zealand doesn’t allow the production of GMO crops. In 2005 Switzerland banned GMO crops and animals, however the ban only lasted 5 years. Australia has not yet banned GMO crops. Countries that have embraced GMO crops are the United States, China, South Africa, Britain, Spain, and Canada. Not only have they embraced the concept of altered foods but they seem to have tried to get the public to support it and see that it is healthy.

An area of big concern is the lax labelling laws in some countries – it’s very probable that you could unwittingly eat GMO’s, where the law does not require them to be labeled as such. Worrying, don’t you think?

What should you do?

The best thing you can do is make sure you pay attention to what you are buying. Read labels, shop at farmers markets. Get to know the farmer who grew your produce. You can even grow your own fruits and vegetables.

Marketing companies are sneaky. Don’t let them convince you that you are purchasing good quality foods that went through a potentially dangerous growing process.

Are GMO foods allowed where you are? I’d love to hear your views on GMO’s, in the comments, below.