“Frequently, “diet food” is not different from regular food. A loaf of bread claiming to have 25% fewer Calories per slice than the regular bread may actually be sliced 25% thinner and sell for a higher price than the regular bread. Reduction of the serving size is often used by manufacturers as a way of reducing the calories per serving. As a consequence, if the amount of fat or other nutrient falls below 0.5 gram per serving, the manufacturer may round it to zero. Coffee creamers, for example, may contain 30% or 40% fat, but by defining the serving size as one teaspoon, the manufacturer may claim that one serving has zero fat, even though one teaspoon may not be a sufficient amount to whiten a cup of coffee. It may take two or three servings to do the job. Examination of the weight of the serving sizes and the ingredients list can frequently be used to identify this type of misinformation.”
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