Health experts were astounded today [Thursday] to learn that baked beans and canned spaghetti shapes in tomato sauce can now count towards the recommended daily intake of five portions of fruit and vegetables.
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Backed by the Department of Health, the British Dietetic Association (BDA) has given food manufacturer Heinz the green light to label more than 70 canned food products as counting towards the recommended portions. Considering that many of the products in question contain high levels of salt, sugar and fat, specialists in heart disease are appalled.
The health department and the Food Standards Agency are keen to get Britain eating more fruit and veg, as the average person eats just three portions per day. They are keen to stress that the portions may come from fresh, canned or frozen fruit and vegetables, but the latest move is being seen as a “dumbing down” of the guidelines to the point where they become meaningless.
Logos to be used on Heinz tins indicate that half a tin of baked beans or half a tin of spaghetti shapes can count for one of the five recommended portions. The company expects parents to be pleased, as many have trouble persuading their offspring to eat vegetables.
However, some of the products in question are far removed from the ideal of unprocessed vegetables. “Teletubbies pasta with mini sausages” is just one example.
The BDA has been paid an undisclosed amount for its work on Heinz products, although BDA chairman Luci Daniels was keen to stress that this did not compromise the impartiality of its advice.
Daniels went on to explain that tinned spaghetti was acceptable as a portion because the tomato sauce contains as many antioxidants as a standard portion of the fruit. “We’ve been very, very rigid in our criteria,” she said.
However, the Heinz labels fail to point out that beans and pulses can only be counted as one of the five recommended fruit and vegetable portions, as stipulated by the BDA. Nor do they make clear the need for a varied diet.
