July 2, 2024, 9:56 am | Read time: 5 minutes
The consumer protection organization Foodwatch called for a vote, and more than 50,000 consumers participated: The award for the most brazen advertising lie of 2024 goes to the children’s snack “Obsties” by the brand Alete. This example shows that the youngest in our society are not adequately protected from unhealthy foods.
Alete has received the negative award “Golden Windbag 2024” from Foodwatch for the third time. In an online poll by the consumer organization, more than half of the approximately 56,000 participants chose a product from the brand for infant and toddler food as the “most brazen advertising lie of the year.” It concerns the highly fructose-laden “Obsties” for children aged three and up, which the manufacturer advertises with the claim “no added sugar.”
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Overview
“Golden Windbag” 2024 goes to Obsties by Alete
The negative honor “Golden Windbag” this year went to Obsties Strawberry-Banana with Yogurt. It is a product by Alete, a brand of the dairy group Deutsches Milchkontor (DMK). Foodwatch criticizes: “Alete advertises the fruit snack ‘for children’ and uses the claim ‘no added sugar’–yet the Obsties consist of 72 percent sugar.”1
Technically, this may even be correct–since the sugar involved is exclusively from fruits, meaning fructose–and it is not added but contained in the fruits used. Misleading for consumers–in this case, parents who might think they are giving their children something particularly good. Because it suggests: Obsties are perfect for children because they are made from fruit. And fruit is known to be healthy.
Such food advertising not allowed according to WHO
According to the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO), Alete Obsties should not be advertised to children due to their high sugar content.2 The German government also criticizes food advertising aimed at children, which very often promotes highly processed foods that contain too much sugar and attract attention with bright colors and funny shapes. Therefore, a corresponding legal regulation is planned in the coalition agreement. However, discussions with other federal ministries are still ongoing.
“Food advertising has a lasting impact on the eating behavior of children under 14,” writes the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. They are particularly receptive to advertising, and eating behavior is crucially shaped during childhood for the rest of life. For this reason, “advertising for foods high in sugar, fat, or salt should no longer be directed at children in all relevant media.”3
According to the BMEL, about 15 percent of three- to seventeen-year-olds in Germany–that’s nearly two million children and adolescents–are overweight, including nearly six percent who are obese. Children and adolescents consume about twice as many sweets and snacks and only half as much vegetables and fruits as recommended.1
Obsties manufacturer admitted “concentration of fructose”
At least: In an email to Foodwatch, the manufacturer DMK responded to the Windbag nomination and admitted that there is a “concentration of natural (fruit) sugar” in Alete’s Obsties. This is stated in the press release from Foodwatch. However, the company did not comment on the main criticism that, due to the high sugar content, it should not be advertised to children according to WHO criteria. The Alete Obsties with their high sugar content are in good company on the children’s snack shelf. According to a Foodwatch check, only 14 out of 77 products examined could be advertised to children according to WHO criteria.
Also interesting: 7 foods that are important for the brain development of babies and toddlers
Where Sugar Hides in Products—and When It Becomes Dangerous
“Valuable Grains”? What’s Really in Children’s Cookies
The difference between fructose and glucose
The main difference between fructose and glucose is that glucose can only be absorbed by body cells when insulin is released. Fructose does not require this. This is why fructose was particularly popular as a sweetener for diabetics in the past. However, fructose is only healthy if you don’t consume too much of it in a day. Like all sugars, it provides neither vitamins nor minerals. So, instead of giving children highly processed products like Alete’s Obsties to snack on, it’s much better to let them eat real fruit, as they will also consume fiber, vitamins, minerals, and secondary plant compounds along with the sugar. Excessive sugar consumption should be avoided–regardless of the source.
“Golden Windbag” 2024: Fitness bar by Offset Nutrition in 4th place
Second place in the poll goes to “Langnese Cremissimo Bourbon Vanilla” by Unilever (26.8 percent of the votes). Foodwatch criticizes “shrinkflation,” or “shrinkage”: Unilever reduced the package size from 1,300 to 900 milliliters but kept the price the same. Third place goes to “Vegan Ham Spicker Mortadella” by Rügenwalder Mühle (11.1 percent of the votes). Here, consumer advocates see deception in the claim “based on sunflower seeds.” In reality, they contain only two percent sunflower protein. Fourth place goes to the “Pretty Little Meal Bar” by Offset Nutrition, advertised as a “main meal” and “designed for weight loss.” The product from Famous Brands GmbH received 2.9 percent of the vote. In fact, the bar contains almost five sugar cubes and receives a NutriScore E, the lowest rating, according to Foodwatch consumer advocates.