It says “Low-Fat” but that fast food joint might not mean it

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – If you eat out at coffee shops and fast food restaurants, you probably aren’t expecting a high standard of nutrition.  But some “low-fat” items are not as healthy as advertised.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has found many big chains are making false claims when it comes to menu items.  According to Canwest, sandwiches, pizzas, burgers and french fries labelled as low in fat or trans fat-free were tested.  A third of those items were found to be exaggerating the level of nutrition, generally due to saturated fat levels.

Baked goods were worse! Five of the eleven muffins, doughnuts, bagels and cookies, labelled to be either low in fat or trans-fat free, failed.

But it’s not all bad news, at a greater rate you can trust the calorie count and other nutritional facts with most having less than a 20 per cent variance from what’s listed.

The CFIA is not listing which restaurants are the worst offenders, but claim they will clean up their acts voluntarily.  Canada does not have mandatory menu labeling. 

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