Heinz Misled The Public About The Nutritional Value Of Sugary Product Marketed To Toddlers, Court Says
Multibillion-dollar food conglomerate Heinz has been judged by an Australian court to have misled the public via the packaging for "Little Kids Shredz." Researchers found that the food for toddlers — marketed as a healthy choice and described as being "99 percent fruit and veg" — actually contained a hefty amount of sugar.
Although the item has not been sold in the Land Down Under since May 2016, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal action against the product in the summer of 2017 after finding that the packages contained about 60 percent sugar, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports.
Federal Court Justice Richard White upheld the claim that the packaging wrongly implies the item as a healthful choice for young children. In a court hearing, he said, "Heinz ought to have known that it was making the healthy food representation in relation to each product and that that representation was false or misleading."
Justice White dismissed additional accusations that alleged that the packaging misled consumers to believe that the product contained just as much nutritional value as natural fruits and vegetables. The varieties called into question included an apple product, a peach product, and a fruit and chia product.
The Federal Court has found food giant Heinz misled the public by implying on the packaging of its Little Kids Shredz range that the snack product is beneficial to the health of young children. https://t.co/eKagCaloWJ pic.twitter.com/C7w64w02jT
— World Health News (@WorldHealthNews) March 20, 2018
In a release, Heinz managing director Bruno Lino said the company never intended to mislead customers.
The Daily Meal has reached out to Heinz for further comment. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based food giant was founded in 1869 and is famous for its condiments, sauces, dressings, soups, and tomatoes.
While this specific product might not be suitable as a healthy choice for snack time, several better-for-you meals can be found in the least suspecting places. Here are the 12 fast food kid's meals that are actually healthy.