Study: Nutritional Labels Often Inaccurate, Could Sabotage Diets

Posted on January 7, 2010 by Lolita Carrico

Next time you eat out, you might want to tack on some extra calories to those reported by the restaurant, because a new study by Tufts University found that many restaurants — specifically fast food chains — are often wrong on their calorie counts…to the tune of nearly 20% off on average!

And if you’re buying frozen meals at the supermarket, they could be wrong too — by about 8%.

“If people use published calorie contents for weight control, discrepancies of this magnitude could result in weight gain of many pounds a year,” says Dr. Susan B. Roberts, professor of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts and lead author of the study.

After studying the published calories versus actual calories in foods from 29 restaurants as well as 10 frozen products, Roberts’ tests found a few items to be under-reported by nearly 200%.

The average 18% calorie overload on restaurant menus is a problem, but so is the 8% overage in the frozen items. Roberts points out that over the course of a year, consuming only 5% more than you need in a 2,000-calorie diet can result in a 10-lb. weight gain. “The 18% and 8% figures are just what you need not to lose weight,” says Roberts.