I wonder how many calories there are in a mouse....Here's some earlier news about Heinz soups in the UK.
19/03/2004 Heinz is dropping its “healthy eating” logo from cans of baked beans, spaghetti and soups amid fears that the products will fall foul of health targets being set by the Government.
The Department of Health (DoH) is to issue limits on salt, sugar and fat in processed foods, but the firm said that it believed the limits would be so stringent that these products would not count. The logo on a range of 50 Heinz products, however, was never part of the official “5-a-day” healthy eating scheme to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables. The firm joined the Government’s bandwagon and, with the British Dietetic Association, devised its own logo.
Heinz was criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority last year for saying that a 300g can of tomato soup was the equivalent of eating two “healthy” portions when it was equivalent to only one. Nevertheless in a statement that a DoH spokesman described as “curious”, Michael Mullen, the company’s corporate affairs general manager, said: “We think the proposed new guidelines may send mixed messages to consumers since many familiar foods that have previously counted will no longer contribute.
“Heinz believes that food companies have an important role to play in promoting healthy eating but the new guidelines will disqualify many nourishing and nutritious foods from counting towards 5-a-day.”
The company wished to avoid customer confusion over different schemes though, he said, it was continuing to cut salt and was working to reduce sugar and fat.
Melanie Johnson, Minister for Public Health, last night rebuked the company when ministers and food companies were working to tackle the obesity crisis. She said: “At a time when people are increasingly concerned about eating things that are better for them, Heinz is letting its customers down.”
Food campaigners were pleased by the Heinz decision. Kath Dalmeny, spokeswoman for the Food Commission, said: “This is recognition by Heinz that its products are too salty to be a healthy contribution to 5-a-day.”
It is not yet known whether processed foods will be eligible for the Government’s new logo standard. The Food and Drink Federation has argued that they had a role in helping consumers to achieve 5-a-day. Heinz is committed to reducing salt content by 42 per cent in children’s brands such as Thomas the Tank Engine and Teletubbies pasta shapes and Spaghetti Hoops. Heinz has a 76.7 per cent British market share for tomato ketchup, 68.2 per cent for baked beans and 61.3 per cent for soups.
The Government’s “5-a-day” logo can be used on canned, dried and frozen fruit and vegetables, as well as fresh and chilled, so long as they do not have added salt, sugar or fat. A portion must contain 80g of fruit or vegetables. Potatoes, rice, pasta, yams and cassava do not count. DoH guidance suggests the following count as one portion: two satsumas, three tablespoons of frozen vegetables, one cereal bowl of green salad, one tablespoon of dried fruit or three tablespoons of tinned fruit.
