- The researchers say that nutrition labeling information is inadequate on many online grocery shopping sites.
- They report that the proper labeling required for food is uniformly provided on only about one-third of grocery items.
- Experts say this lack of information is particularly problematic for people with food allergies or medically necessary dietary limitations.
- They urge consumers to shop carefully and provide specific information to the person who is choosing food for them.
Shopping for groceries online can be convenient for many people, but the system was not created to consider the limitations of food allergies or medically necessary dietary limitations.
Additionally, insufficient labeling laws mean that even the best-intentioned product substitutions remain risky business.
a new analysis published today in Public Health Nutrition by researchers from the NYU School of Global Public Health and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Massachusetts reports that online food retailers do not consistently display nutritional information on their websites.
The researchers said US laws are falling behind in requiring that the same labeling required for foods sold in physical stores be displayed on online sites.
“The information that should be provided to consumers in conventional grocery stores is not consistently provided online. In fact, it only appears in about a third of the online grocery items we surveyed,” he wrote. Jennifer Pomeranze, MPH, assistant professor of public health policy and management in the NYU School of Global Public Health and senior author of the study.
The researchers looked at 10 top food products from 9 major online grocery retailers.
They reported that proper nutritional information was displayed legibly about 36 percent of the time. Potential allergens were identified, they wrote, in about 11 percent of the products. Nutrition information and ingredients were listed about 50 percent of the time.
The researchers also noted that online grocery shopping increased from about 3 percent to about 10 percent of total grocery sales between 2019 and 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. They predict that online grocery shopping will rise to 21 percent of the market by 2025.
The researchers say the rapid growth of online grocery shopping is outpacing enforcement of regulations in this sector of the industry.
Caroline West Passerello, MS, RDN, LDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, community coordinator and instructor at the University of Pittsburgh, and owner of Caroline West LLC, explained how she, as a registered dietitian and former retail dietitian at a grocery store, knows the importance of accurate information to consumers and the challenges retailers face in trying to maintain accurate and up-to-date information from product to shelf and online.
“There are a lot of people, processes and systems that just aren’t designed to work together for this goal,” Passerrello told Healthline.
“Many food retailers that offer a curbside pickup option will substitute a similar item if the ordered item was not available,” he noted.
Passerrello said substituting items is part of a grocer’s job and they have no legal responsibility for giving you a different product than what you ordered.
“Online retailers have posted legal notices to protect themselves in these situations,” he said.
However, while the items may appear similar from the perspective of the shopping team member, Passerrello cautions that if the customer has a food allergy and the substitute item contains that allergen, that item is not an acceptable substitute.
“Until a system is designed, implemented and enforced, it is the consumer’s responsibility to verify the actual package when they receive it,” Passerrello said.
“Food hypersensitivity can be a major health problem for Americans,” Dr Amy Leethe medical director of Lindora’s 34 weight-loss and wellness clinics in Southern California told Healthline.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports there are more than 160 potential allergens found in our food sources that can cause reactions consistent with hypersensitivities.
However, only 8 ingredients are formally recognized by the FDA and listed on a food label.
The main food allergens are:
- Milk
- nuts
- eggs
- misery
- fish
- wheat
- seafood
- soy
The ninth and newest is sesame, but the food industry is not required to list it until January 2023.
Here are some of the other things that are not included in these regulations:
- meat and poultry (because they belong to the US Department of Agriculture)
- alcohol (because it belongs to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau)
- raw farming
- drugs
- Cosmetic products
If you buy groceries online, Passerrello said he tells his customers to include a note with their order so the in-store shopper knows what to look for when looking for substitutes.
“Consumers can also see if their retailer has registered dietitians working for them by contacting the registered dietitian or customer service department to see what specific systems may be in place for the retailer they use,” Passerrello said.
Lee added the following 5 recommendations:
- Eat fewer processed foods because you’ll end up avoiding any food products that might be cross-contaminated.
- Eat more poultry, produce, and fresh foods in general.
- Report any adverse reactions to the FDA so the agency can find a pattern of activity and possibly identify which food manufacturers have not kept up with regulations.
- Read labels and understand the many variations on words that could describe the same thing.
- Ask questions.
Consumers can also advocate for the FDA to issue guidance on how nutrition information should be displayed online at the point of sale.
“While the public comment period for the Federal Register has ended, consumers can still tell their legislators that this is important to them,” Passerrello said.
When you get close, tell them you’re Referrer to “Docket No. FDA-2021-N-0929 – Food and Drug Administration’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety E-Commerce Summit.”
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