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| Saturday, 24 July 2004 |
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Consuming the consumer by N. Kishorekumar
Given the literacy rate of this country, quite a large percentage of the population could read and understand albeit to a limited extent the declarations on food labels and advertisements. Most of us know vitamins and minerals are necessary for our well- being. So when foods are advertised as containing vitamins and minerals they prefer to buy them even at a higher price than their counterparts without them even though a daily balanced basic diet would provide most of them. This set-up is now recognized as a very fertile ground for some of the unscrupulous multinational food merchants to exploit. For instance I am perturbed, and dismayed at the antics adopted by a multinational company to promote one of their milk powders supposedly containing high calcium that is advertised as if it will stop one of the worst possible deformities any one, particularly young adult women, would be horrified of -osteoporosis, in its track with a screech whereas, in fact, intake of calcium for patients suffering from osteoporosis has very little beneficial effect! Consumer brain-washing A white-coated man aping a doctor, pointing out some twisted and bent sets of vertebral column, relating horror stories of what might happen to you if you do not drink a so called high-priced high calcium milk - performing a laborious exercise of consumer brain-washing is making a mockery of the intelligence of our consumers. I have seen better display of con artistry from pavement hawkers! At least they are more sympathetic with customers and they are more ethical, given their positions and occupations. But some organizations do not seem to have a semblance of shame or ethical consideration for consumers or respect for the law of the land. We all know that deficiency of calcium may lead to some shortcomings in bone development later in life. But only few of us know that intake of any amount of calcium in any form would have no effect on curing osteoporosis. One carefully watching TV ads and listening to radio ads promoting products would realize how cleverly and unethically the words and graphics are designed to convey the message that drinking a particular brand would be a treatment for osteoporosis - more like a drug claim than a health claim for food products. What the suspecting consumers do not realize is that the so called miraculous calcium could easily be obtained from eating a few dried sprats daily or taking a couple of calcium tablets at a cost of less than 50 cents per family of live members per day! Internationally there are norms and regulatory guidelines for such claims. There are national legal restrictions as well for such claims. A food regulation published by the Ministry of Health recently prescribes that "No label or advertisement relating to any food shall indicate directly or indirectly that such food contains tonic, restorative or medicinal property or prosperities which make it beneficial for invalids or which will cure, alleviate or prevent any illness." We presume that the restriction was imposed by the authorities in order to protect the unsuspecting consumers from being duped by such scare mongers. Why the authorities responsible are turning a blind eye to this blatant violation of our national law is a question every discerning consumer is posing today. Countries like the USA are very specific about such misleading claims and exercise strict control over these deceptive practices. The most cogent type of claim that a manufacturer can display on a product label is a drug claim, prohibited for use on foods and dietary supplements. Drug claims communicate to the consumers that the product "will cure, mitigate, treat or prevent disease." Thus a food label cannot claim to cure, mitigate, treat or prevent disease. Even in advanced countries like America slogans like "Drinking milk prevents osteoporosis" are declared as unacceptable use of drug claim on food products. False inferences What constitutes a misleading label or advertisement? An international organization established by the World Health Organization - Codex Alimentarius Commission explains: "A communication can mislead consumers both because it has confusing language and because it leads to leads to false inferences." They are divided into five categories. 1. Omission of a material fact - A communication is misleading because of a material fact has been omitted; 2. Confusion-based misleadingness - A communication is misleading because of confusing langauge, symbols or images; 3. Same-attribute misleadingness - A truthful communication about an attribute of a product leads to misleading inferences about the same attribute in that product or in other products in the same or similar category; 4. Different-attribute misleadingness - A truthful communication about an attribute of a product leads to misleading inferences about a different attribute in that product or in other products in the same category; and. 5. Source-based misleadingness - An endorsement by an organization or individuals leads to misleading inferences. Ingredients or properties of a food, added or otherwise, may be beneficial to consumers in certain context of nutrition. It must however be remembered that such ingredients or properties are present either in the normal balanced diet or from cheaper sources. A label or advertisement should promote healthy dietary habits among consumers, rather than holding them to ransom with half-baked, misrepresented scientific information. Regular exercise and a healthy diet The information should not lead consumers to believe that there is exact quantitative knowledge what individuals should eat in order to maintain health, but rather convey an understanding of the quantity of nutrients contained in the product. USFDA approved a calcium related model claim on food label under these principles as follows: "Regular exercise and a healthy diet with enough calcium hopes teens and young white and Asian women maintain good bone health and may reduce their risk of osteoporosis." Health claims on food products should be pre-approved by relevant authorities. I am not sure whether the "Sri Lankan Food Authority" has granted any approval for this "calcium claim". If this is not so, it is time for the authorities to wake up and do something on this. A health claim characterizes the relationship of any nutrient to a disease or health related condition. To use a health claim a manufacturer should get Food Authority authorization by demonstrating that the claim is supported by "significant scientific agreement". Consumer association in this country should take up this issue with the authorities concerned and educate the consumers and boycott products from companies that have taken the intelligence of consumers for granted! Member - Consumer Association, Wattala. ############# An elephant that paints by Prasad Abu Bakr
There is nothing unusual that you will witness as far as the paintings go if you visit Paradise Road Galleries any of these days up to the 27th of this month. however, the surprising part comes in as you learn more about the artist. Devi the elephant at the Dehiwala zoo has taken time off to produce a range of well composed pictures under the kind guidance of Lori Foster who is the founder member and Executive Director of Elephants In Need (EIN) a Canadian non-profit organisation created to help elephants in Sri Lanka through public education and funding. In 2003, Lori Foster an Environmental Scientist with the Canadian Federal Government (Department of Environment) spent nearly 4 months volunteering at Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage caring nearly 70 elephants of all ages. Foster also was instrumental in launching a painting programme for elephants at the National Zoo in Dehiwala. She believes that by taking part in painting sessions elephants such as Devi can enrich its intelligence and it also enables her to raise funds for the project by selling the work. It is a well known fact that the elephant population of Sri Lanka has undergone difficult situations threatening the breed into instinct. From a colossal 20,000 the elephant population has decreased to a mere 3000 at present, as people are clearing more forest areas to create settlements for themselves the elephants are coming into conflict with their intruders and most are killed in the process; some are injured and others are orphaned. It is stated that Sri Lankan elephants are losing more of their habitat almost daily forcing them to live at the Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawela. The national parks are said to be overcrowded and the maintenance costs of the sick and the orphaned are a costly operation, in view of raising funds for the Elephant In Need project and the Department of Zoological Gardens partnered in teaching elephants to paint. All funds raised by selling Devi's pictures will be utilised towards food operational and medicine costs incurred in maintaining the Pinnawela orphanage and also other captive elephants. Around the world, there are many elephants that undergo training programmes through which they master the art of painting. There are apparently 30 `artist elephants' at present around the world. The activity also complements a comprehensive enrichment programme that zoos all over the world strive to provide to all their animals. Besides this factor, the 30 or so elephants that have achieved artist status for themselves are also goodwill ambassadors of the Elephant In Need project. `Devi' the elephant exhibiting its work at present in Colombo is also one such ambassador. ############# Image of Europe: Dairy diet for gout Ravisara Kariyawasam reports from Germany Doctors usually recommend a diet heavy on dairy products and light on meat and fish for people who have gout. Such diets can also help prevent the disease, researchers report in The New England Journal of Medicine. Gout is an inflammation of the joints caused by a buildup of uric acid. The study's lead author, Hyon Choi of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said suspected links between gout and foods high in purines, a chemical found in many proteins, have provided the basis for centuries of advice. Choi said although it had been established that purines interfered with the ability to absorb uric acid, solid evidence was lacking for low-protein diets. The study tracked more than 47,000 middle-aged men who were health professionals and did not have gout. Over 12 years, the men who ate the most meat, especially red meat, were almost 50 per cent more likely to develop gout as those who ate the least. Choi said the effect was even stronger for all types of seafood. Those reporting the highest levels of dairy consumption were half as likely to become ill as those who reported the lowest levels. Germany slowly emerges from tech slump Once renowned for its technological prowess, Germany is only gradually emerging from a slump in its technology business and is slipping behind most major nations, an industry group said recently. The German computer, telecommunications and new media association called Bitkom, on the eve of the Cebit technology trade fair, said the German technology industry would grow only 2.5 per cent in 2004 to Sterling pounds 131.4 billion, in revenue. The German forecast lagged growth projection of 4.3 per cent worldwide and 3.1 per cent for Western Europe as a whole, according to the European Information Technology Observatory. Last year, the German information technology and telecommunications sector showed growth of just 0.3 per cent. But Chancellor Gerhard Schroder of Germany, in remarks for Cebit's opening address, argued the opposite, saying the economic outlook and fundamentals "are significantly better today than they were a year ago. That is true for the global economy and for Germany." Schroder vowed to continue his efforts to revive Germany's economy. He also cited the quick wage agreement that was reached recently between metal industry workers and unions as 'supportive of economic recovery.' Gadget galore at the Cebit trade fair The giant Cebit technology fair is getting underway in Hanover. The trade fair is a key event for the world's technology and telecommunications firms and the mood at the show is always a good guide to how hi-tech firms feel about the future. This year some of the bullishness of previous years has returned thanks to the growing success of wifi, renewed interest in mobile phones and the growing role of the PC as the heart of the digital, hi-tech home. Also on show will be the usual slew of nifty gadgets including a paper computer, a camera lens that works like the human eye and a Swiss army knife that doubles as a portable memory card. Cebit will also see Sony show off the PSX that combines a gaming console, personal video will also see Sony show off the PSX that combines a gaming console, personal video will be demonstrating technologies that let people use their home PC as a hub to control other household gadgets. Many believe the PC will become a media repository that holds all the movies, music and images a family collects. Tools to make more of this media and share it around will be a feature of many stands at Cebit. The usual range of more quirky exhibits are on show too. Swedish company Cypak is unveiling a disposable computer made of paperboard. Cypak has crammed a small chip, 32 kilobytes of memory and a speaker onto the paper processors that it says could find a first use as an interactive drugs dispenser. The lens that works like the human eye has been developed by electronics giant Phillips. The lens has no moving parts, instead it encloses two non-mixing fluids in a short transparent tube. By changing the current applied to the lens it is possible to alter the curve of the meniscus between the two fluids. Cebit is the biggest technology trade show in the world. This year a total of 6,411 exhibitors will be taking part across more than 334,000 square meters of exhibition space. More than 500,000 visitors are expected over the seven days of the fair. The peak of visitors was in 2001 when about 850,000 trooped through the many halls at the Hanover trade fair ground. A spokesman for the show said security had been stepped up in the wake of the attacks on Spain. |
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How many consumers in this country can properly understand the
intricate nature of nutritional properties and functions in food products,
particularly the vitamins and other macronutrients?
