Misleading Label Claim #3

The USDA recommends that consumers “make half your grains whole.” Many products emphasize “Made With Whole Grains” on packaging, and use dark brown colors & deceptive names to promote the health benefits of whole grains. But, most of these food items have ordinary refined wheat flour as their main ingredient, as they aren't required to disclose the % of whole grains vs refined grains.

Although still a vague indicator as to the amount, one safeguard is to check the listed ingredients. Ingredients must be listed in order of predominance, so if something like “Enriched Wheat Flour” is first, but “Whole Wheat Flour” is further down the list, you can be sure there isn’t a large amount of whole grain in the product.