Florida Leaders Say Diet Foods are 'Massive Fraud' on Consumers
Calling it a "massive fraud" perpetrated against consumers, a Florida state senator and the state's Agriculture and Consumer Services commissioner on Tuesday said that all 67 products sampled in a sweep of area diet food shops had inaccurate or illegal labels.
The findings were an indictment of the burgeoning diet food industry, which has a particularly large presence in South Florida. National, regional and local products were represented on the list of misbranded products - some with grossly misstated figures on their "Nutrition Facts" panels.
The survey also demonstrated how widespread errors on food labels can be. State Sen. Steven Geller, D-Hallandale Beach, who urged a study of the diet products, said some of the mistakes were too great to be considered simple errors.
"When I say massive fraud, in many respects it's worse than the typical fraud that affects people's pocketbooks," Geller said at a news conference. "What we have uncovered is affecting the life and health of people here in South Florida.
The findings were an indictment of the burgeoning diet food industry, which has a particularly large presence in South Florida. National, regional and local products were represented on the list of misbranded products - some with grossly misstated figures on their "Nutrition Facts" panels.
The survey also demonstrated how widespread errors on food labels can be. State Sen. Steven Geller, D-Hallandale Beach, who urged a study of the diet products, said some of the mistakes were too great to be considered simple errors.
"When I say massive fraud, in many respects it's worse than the typical fraud that affects people's pocketbooks," Geller said at a news conference. "What we have uncovered is affecting the life and health of people here in South Florida.