100% atta, 100% coconut water: Why food labels are spiking your blood sugar

If you walked into a supermarket today, you could easily believe that many packaged foods are healthier than ever before. How many of you have come across labels like “100% Tender Coconut Water”, “100% whole wheat bread”, “zero maida,” “no added sugar”, “sweetened with dates”, “made with honey,” and many more.

These claims are everywhere. They are often displayed in large, bold fonts on the front of the package and are designed to reassure health-conscious consumers of their nutritive value when it is not. Now the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) recently imposed penalties on manufacturers over such exaggerated claims, saying the contents were cheating on the consumer.

“They are reminders that consumers need to become smarter label readers. In today’s food environment, the healthiest choice is often not the product with the most attractive claim on the front of the pack, but the one with the simplest ingredient list on the back. When it comes to packaged foods, the truth is usually found in the fine print, not in the headline,” says Dr Saptarshi Bhattacharya, senior consultant, endocrinology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi. Excerpts:

Why is the label “natural sugar” misleading?

Most consumers focus on whether a sugar is “natural” or “artificial.” From a health perspective, however, a more important distinction is whether the sugar is present within the natural structure of the food or whether it has been extracted, concentrated or added during processing.

Consider an orange. When you eat a whole orange, the sugars are trapped within a complex food matrix containing fibre, water and plant cell walls. The fibre slows digestion, the chewing process increases satiety, and the overall rise in blood glucose is moderated. Now compare that with a glass of orange juice. The fruit may be the same, but much of the fibre has been removed and the sugars become more readily available for absorption. The effect on the body is different.

Take the process one step further and convert the juice into a concentrate. Water is removed, sugars become highly concentrated, and the product can then be added to cereals, snack bars, beverages and so-called health foods. Consumers may see “sweetened with fruit concentrate” and assume it is healthier than sugar.

This is why a whole apple is not equivalent to apple juice, even though both originate from the same fruit. It is also why a cereal bar sweetened with apple concentrate should not automatically be considered healthier than one containing sugar.

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This is where many food labels create what nutrition experts call a “health halo.” A product marketed as containing honey, jaggery, date syrup or fruit concentrate often appears healthier than one containing table sugar. Yet these ingredients still contribute substantial amounts of free sugars.

How much free sugar are you allowed?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends limiting free sugars to less than 10 per cent of total daily calorie intake and ideally below five per cent for additional health benefits. Importantly, free sugars include not only table sugar but also honey, syrups, fruit juice concentrates and sugars naturally present in fruit juices.

A product can legitimately claim “no added sugar” while deriving much of its sweetness from fruit concentrates or other natural sweeteners. Once removed from their original food matrix and added to packaged foods, these sugars may have metabolic effects similar to conventional added sugars. Similarly, a packaged beverage may contain no added sugar but derive its sweetness from concentrated fruit juice. These sugars still contribute calories and still spike blood glucose levels.

This distinction is especially important in a country like India, where diabetes and obesity are increasing rapidly. India is already home to more than 100 million adults with diabetes and an even larger number with prediabetes. At the same time, consumption of packaged and ultra-processed foods continues to rise.

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What about claims of 100% atta bread?

Consumers often equate terms such as “whole wheat” or “atta” with good health. While whole grains are generally preferable to refined grains, the presence of whole wheat flour alone does not determine whether a product is healthy. Bread may contain whole wheat flour while also containing added sugars, sodium, emulsifiers and other ingredients. The overall nutritional profile remains important. A claim on the front of the package should never replace reading the ingredient list and nutrition information panel.

So, what should consumers do?

The first step is to ignore the front of the package for a moment and turn it around. Read the ingredient list. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. If sugar, syrup, fruit concentrate, honey or similar sweeteners appear near the top of the list, the product is likely contributing a significant amount of sugar. Consumers should also learn to recognise the many names under which sugars can appear. These include honey, jaggery, date syrup, fruit juice concentrate, malt extract, glucose syrup, corn syrup, rice syrup and several others.

Next, look at the nutrition panel. Check the total sugar content per serving and compare it with the amount you are likely to consume. A serving size on paper may be much smaller than what people actually eat or drink. Finally, remember that food marketing is designed to attract attention. They may describe one aspect of a product, but they rarely tell the complete story.