Commercially available snacks and biscuits are often marked with "high calcium" (see photo, photo by Hung Shengfei) in an attempt to attract consumers' favor. However, according to the random test and comparison of the Consumers' Foundation, it was found that 41% did not meet the high calcium standard of the Department of Health. Consumers' Foundation I think that the industry's claim of "high calcium" is simply "covered"!
In addition, the Consumers' Association also found that some products did not emphasize "high calcium", but only claimed to "contain" calcium, but the measured calcium value of the two samples was only one that met the relevant regulations. In addition, there are claims to "add" calcium, but 79% of them can't even reach the "contained" amount! The Consumers' Foundation advises consumers to carefully read the nutrition labels if they want to supplement calcium through food.
In order to let consumers understand the truth behind these nutritional claims, the Consumers’ Foundation has selected commercially available packaged foods that make claims on three nutrients, including “calcium”, “iron” and “milk fat” in dairy products. At the end of August this year From the beginning of September to the first ten days of October, they were randomly purchased from mass merchandisers, supermarkets, and supermarkets in the greater Taipei area. A total of 67 samples of biscuits, brewed drinks, snacks, and dairy products were purchased.
The Consumers’ Foundation conducted actual tests and found that packaged foods claiming high calcium must meet the standard of 240 mg calcium per 100 grams announced by the Department of Health. However, according to the test results, 7 of the 17 packaged foods claiming high calcium (accounting for 41% ) does not reach the specified value and cannot be called a high-calcium food; they are "ABC mini biscuits", "Dingsheng high-calcium fruit oatmeal", "Yam black rice sesame paste", "Iwayaki Japanese-style wheat cake", "Fu Yuan Australian High Fiber High Calcium Instant Oatmeal" and "High Calcium Milk Cake". It also includes "Haizhi-flavored cod shreds" which cannot be declared high in calcium. The actual test results of this product did not meet the regulations of the Department of Health.
There were 2 packaged foods claiming to contain calcium, and the measured calcium content of "Weitamax Nutritious Pumpkin Oatmeal for Middle-aged and Elderly People" did not meet the regulations.
There are also many manufacturers claiming to add calcium to make consumers feel that there is an extra addition. The Consumers’ Foundation sampled a total of 19 samples claiming to add or combine calcium, and 15 of them did not even meet the standard of “containing” calcium.
"High calcium" and "low fat" have become important indicators for consumers to pursue healthy eating. However, the test results of the Consumer Foundation found that the credibility of the industry's labels is very low. The Consumer Foundation emphasizes that the high calcium label for solid foods must meet 240 mg per gram, and 120 mg per 100 grams for liquid foods. As for low-fat, the fat content should be below 1.5% to be considered low-fat. According to the "Reference Intake of Chinese Dietary Nutrients" published by the Department of Health, the Consumers' Foundation recommends that the daily intake of calcium for adults is 1,000 mg, and the upper limit is 2,500 mg.
Comment
" Readers, please pay attention, don't be fooled by "high calcium" and "low fat". These are caused by the misleading public by the Ministry of Health in our country. Everyone of us needs calcium, but don't be fooled by the advertising tactics of businessmen Even if all the "high-calcium" and "low-fat" foods meet the standards of the Department of Health today, they can't be taken, because we don't need that much calcium, and taking too much calcium will only cause kidney stones , and these artificial calcium not only can not supplement bone, all foreign research shows that it will make bones more fragile, there is no evidence that it will help bone, so we must go back to the past, drink more soy milk and cook bone soup , It is best to eat more foods containing natural calcium such as sesame seeds."
