Why do some products have different nutritional composition stated on different containers, even when accounting for serving size?
I've been looking into nutritional composition of beverages and I've found something weird: sometimes, when the same product is served in a different container, the nutritional contents on on the packaging changes even though it's supposed to be the same beverage. And yes, I am accounting for serving size. For example, from the Dutch website of my local grocery store:
- Lipton Original sparkling ice tea served in containers of .15 liters say they contain 4.5 grams of sugar per 100 ml and 20 kilocalories;
- Lipton Original sparkling ice tea served in containers of 1.5 liters say they contain 8 grams of sugar per 100 ml and 35 kilocalories.
My assumption was always that in the factories that produce and bottle these beverages, they make these in giant vats of thousands of liters and then assign part to the .15 liter containers and part to the 1.5 liter containers. If this is the case, then why do these contain such massively different nutritional value differences?
Best Answer
I can only guess at it needs to be a different recipe for the can compared to the bottle.
The ingredients list, though not hugely helpful, lists tea-extract at 0.3% on one pack & 0.32% on the other. If they've changed that, they could change anything else & not have to report it in ingredients, only in nutritional value.
In fact, putting it through Google Translate, one claims stevia & fructose, the other just sugar. Completely different recipes, regular & 'low-cal'.
Can
Carbonated water, sugar, fructose, tea extract(0.3%), food acids (citric acid, malic acid), acidity regulator (trisodium citrate), lemon juice from concentrated juice (0.1%), aroma, antioxidant (ascorbic acid), sweetener (steviol glycosides ).
Bottle
Carbonated water, sugar, tea extract (0.32%), food acid (citric acid), acidity regulator (trisodium citrate), lemon juice from concentrated juice (0.1%), flavourings, preservative (potassium sorbate), antioxidant (ascorbic acid).
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Why are nutrition facts on a food label given per serving size?
Serving sizes are standardized to make it easier to compare similar foods; they are provided in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by the metric amount, e.g., the number of grams (g). The serving size reflects the amount that people typically eat or drink.How do you read a nutrition label serving size?
According to the National Data Lab (NDL), most of the calorie values in the USDA and industry food tables are based on an indirect calorie estimation made using the so-called Atwater system. In this system, calories are not determined directly by burning the foods.How are nutrition facts determined?
This is the number one rule that requires nutrition fact labeling. If any exemptions are met, your food still has to include nutrition facts if the label has any nutrient claims. Small businesses (your own or any that sell your product) that have more than $50,000 of food sales AND more than $500,000 of total sales.Fix Facebook Pixel Errors - How to Fix Errors With The Facebook Pixel
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Answer 2
Curious! It could be a different recipe, like Tetsujin's answer suggests. Or it could be the same recipe, but due to the smaller serving size some ingredients may fall below the reporting threshold.
Consider from https://www.tictac.com/us/en/faq/:
Tic Tac® mints do contain sugar as listed in the ingredient statement. However, since the amount of sugar per serving (1 mint) is less than 0.5 grams, FDA labeling requirements permit the Nutrition Facts to state that there are 0 grams of sugar per serving.
(They are actually 90% sugar.)
Another explanation could be that perhaps a single recipe is used for all products, but the recipe has changed at some point. The store may have different amounts of stock of the products, and may end up selling one bottle with the old recipe and one with the new recipe.
I have asked the manufacturer through their contact form to see if they want to jump in and give us an authoritative answer. I'll update this answer if they get back.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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