After putting 318 people through the same test, Temple Northup already knows that the organic cookies made their way into your cart. His new study, published in Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, shows that “organic”—along with “whole grain,” “heart healthy,” “antioxidant,” and “all natural”—are the packaged food buzz words creating a “false sense of health,” meaning that foods carrying these labels win out every time against the same exact food without the health halo indicators. “They’re not huge claims, but these very small cues are making people believe there is some health value to these products,” explains Northup, an assistant professor at the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston. “But when we’re talking about soda and cookies, there is no health benefit.” More from Prevention: 10 Packaged Foods You Should Always Buy Organic These labels work by catching you at a crossroads, Northup explains. Scanning the shelves at the grocery store, you’re consciously trying to make a healthy choice without spending a lot of time overanalyzing every decision. The solution: little cues, like the word “antioxidant” on a bottle of soda or “A full serving of vegetables!” on a can of premade pasta, tell you that product is healthy. It works because, psychologically, these words are playing on your memories. “Everything in our memory is connected, so everything associated with that word—like organic and thoughts of health—becomes more accessible and influences your decision,” he explains. Technically, these companies aren’t doing anything illegal. Take Cherry 7UP Antioxidant, one of the products Northup used in his experiment: Turn the bottle around and you’ll find vitamin E acetate listed as the second-to-last ingredient on the list. “It’s not false,” Northup admits. “It may be misleading, but it’s not false.” Ethically, however, it’s stacking the cards against you. So what can you do? Consider this: if a product must make a health claim, it’s probably not a great choice (for example, you don’t see a huge sign over the produce section telling you it’s healthy). But the number one way to learn if that product is healthy, says Northup, is to turn it around and read the ingredients for yourself. Check out our Cleanest Packaged Food Awards for supermarket finds featuring healthy ingredients that speak for themselves.
