Misleading advert award nominations go to Immune boosting iced tea, Kellogg’s cereal
Three products are eligible for the title of most misleading food product of the year, according to the organization Foodwatch. Iced tea that is said to be good for your immune system from the supermarket chain Jumbo, and a traditional style potato and free-range egg salad from Dirk and Dekamarkt have been nominated for the Gouden Windei. Because of an excessive price hike due to shrinkflation, Kellogg's All-Bran Fruit’n Fibre was also added to the list
The name takes the Dutch word for golden in combination with “windei,” a metaphor for a false promise that translates more directly as an egg full of air. Foodwatch uses the annual competition to draw attention to misleading packaging and labels that food manufacturers often use to sell their products.
Different types of Jumbo Ice Tea, with names such as Inner Beauty, Good Energy and Feel Immune, are marketed as being good for your skin, hair, nails and immune system. The iced tea is mainly just water with added vitamins and far too much sugar, and that is not good for anything, according to Foodwatch.
The potato and egg salad product is far from it’s claim of being “pure crafted artisanal salad” like one’s grandmother used to make, Foodwatch said. Sold at Dirk and Dekamarkt, Pure Ambacht Ambachtelijke Salade Oma’s Aardappel-Scharrelei is in reality a highly processed food, the activist group stated. "Full of industrial ingredients, like preservatives and sweeteners."
Kellogg's All-Bran Fruit'n Fiber cereal received the third nomination. Although there is nothing specifically false in the advertising about the product’s ingredients, the contents of the package were reduced by a quarter. At the same time, the price on store shelves only fell slightly. In pretty much every other way, the package looks the same, specifically in terms of appearance and dimension, but the price per kilo has shot up “considerably," said Foodwatch.
The public was invited to cast their vote starting on Tuesday. Voting will remain open for a month via www.goudenwindei.nl.
Last year, the Gouden Windei went to Dutch celebrity Nicolette van Dam's vegetable sweets. The candies were considered misleading because they contained just as much sugar as some other candies.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times