Products voted best for dieting

Reporter: Marguerite McKinnon
Broadcast Date: April 23, 2008

When it comes to healthy foods, it seems a new list comes out every week about which are best but this time the ones making the decisions are consumers.

Everywhere you look, you see low fat, low salt, fat free, light, low carb, sugar free, no salt, high fibre, reduced fat, preservative free, full of fruit, natural and wholesome.

But Food Authorities have found 84 per cent of the time these labels are stretching the truth.

Editor of Slimming and Health Magazine, Kate Fitzpatrick, said those surveyed want to lose weight and are the main grocery buyer.

"Even 10 years ago, it was really rare for people to have low fat milk or skim milk in their fridge whereas it's probably the norm now and that sort of trend has moved on," she said.

"It's consumers who are buying these products and trying them in their homes and trying to incorporate them into their healthy eating plan."

The problem is so rife that industry watchdog, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand has launched an investigation into food labelling laws.

More than 80,000 consumers were asked by Slimming and Health Magazine to choose their favourites shopping items for health and convenience.

"Readers look for low fat probably as their number one criteria when looking for healthy products," Kate said.

The 2008 Healthy Eating Awards covered anything from healthy cereals to McDonald's Tick-approved meals.

In breads and cereals, Uncle Toby's Oatbrits, Baker's Delight Cape Seed Bread and Norganic Breakfast Bars got the nod.

In dairy and desserts, the favourites were Vaalia low fat yoghurt, Nestle Diet, Weight Watchers, Peter's Light ice cream, Shape milk, Pure Organic milk, the only non-dairy-dairy winner So Good soy milk and Bega Cheese.

In meats and fish, Weight Watchers bacon, leg ham and tuna products and Greenseas foods were the most popular.

In spreads and salad dressings, Weight Watchers again got a mention, along with Norganic mayonnaise, and Bertolli olive oil spray.

There's no need to explain why, but best and worst category for voters is snacks.

Most popular snacks are Weight Watchers muffin bars, Paradise Vive biscuits, Real Food corn thins, Slim Secrets snack bars and Ajita's vege chips.

For convenience meals, the best were Chang Wok ready noodles, Sanitarium vegetarian, McCain healthy choice, Zoglo's vegetarian foods, Weight Watcher's frozen meals and Heinz Very Special canned soups.

In drinks, Ocean Spray light cranberry, Weight Watchers cordials, Wendy's non-dairy smoothies and Bundaberg diet ginger beer topped the list.

While Twinings green tea and the even healthier white tea are the hot options.

In cooking appliances, voters could not go past the Morphy Richards steamer but they demanded the unlisted George Foreman Grill to be included as well.

Finally nothing can beat fresh food and when it comes to kids, apples are the winner with pears the best allergy-free snacks.