When I jump on the bandwagon of clean eating, doing grocery shopping became a real chore. From the nutrition facts table to the health claims, to the mountain of food products, choosing the healthiest products among the myriad of options is a more daunting process than I was initially led to believe. I can find myself spending two hours just scouring the aisles—easily.

Over the recent years, the food market has evolved dramatically. From health claims to organic food aisles, food is no longer viewed as a mean to survive—it is the sword wield to slash the risk of nasty diseases and the shield to maintain and preserve health.

Health Canada approved the use of health claims in 2010. The primary goal of the health allegations is to provide valuable health information and to guide them through their dietary choices. While Health Canada does oversee that the health claims follow a list of criteria, there are, unfortunately, loopholes to these regulations.

According to a study published in the latest issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, consumers are “less likely to correctly choose the healthier product” and “more likely to perceive the product as healthier” when food packages display a nutrient claim.

Other significant findings from the study are as followed:

• Participants are less likely to view the nutrition facts table when a food package shows a nutrient claim.
• Between two identical food products, participants were more likely to select the product that displays a nutrient content claim.
• Participants considered vegetable chips as unhealthier than potato chips.
• Participants considered fortified potato chips as unhealthier than vegetable chips.

Even though fortification of unhealthy food products like cookies, chips, and candies is a bit of an oxymoron, nutrient claims on these products can shrewd the perception of consumers. In one previous study, the nutrient claim “low-fat” encourages higher food consumption by consumers. Researchers call this concept the “health halos.” “The marketing [of] health and nutrition claims made on packaging create ‘health halos’ that make foods appear healthier than they are, thereby leading to higher consumption yet lower perceived calorie intake,” says Pierre Chandon, a professor of Marketing and Director of the Social Science Research Centre at INSEAD in France. Indeed, nutrient claims can be misleading, albeit legal.

When comparing two identical food products, it wouldn’t be entirely wrong to admit that the fortified product is healthier than its competitor. The problem is that consumers might bypass the nutrition facts table to assess the nutritional value accurately. Moreover, snack foods, fortified or not, are often high in calories, sugar, salt, and fat, and low in fiber. In other words, the fortification in unhealthy food products might mislead consumers into thinking that they are healthy when in reality, they are not.

Moral of the story: Don’t just rely on the nutrient claims. Take a peek at the nutrition facts table and list of ingredients before rating the healthfulness.