After last week's problem, now resolved, with Newman's Own Organics olive oil, I couldn't believe it when I found a much more important error on the label for Eden Organic Kamut Vegetable Spirals. Turns out that the label says the nutritional information is for a 1/2 cups serving, but it's really for a 1 cup serving.
My husband and I have been eating the serving size we use for all pasta, 3/4 cup, but were only getting 6 grams of protein instead of 12. Our daily allowance is 55 - 60 grams, so this is a 10% shortage ... enough to make a noticeable difference. That's why we've had the urge to snack on nuts after a meal made with this "high protein" pasta.
And I really couldn't believe it when Eden told me they've known about it for months, have not corrected their website, and refused to refund my money. They will be printing new boxes in a few weeks (no rush) and eventually the packaging will be accurate. Meanwhile, too bad about all those customers who are misinformed.
This means that I purchased at a premium price a pasta that claimed to be high in protein but in fact had half the protein per serving volume as labeled. I switched a few weeks ago from Whole Foods Organic Whole-Wheat Rotini to these spirals because I thought they had more protein, even though they cost more ($3.69 for 12 ounces compared to $1.79 for a pound).
Sue Potter, the EO marketing manager, says the company has known about this mislabeling since July 13th. They did not correct their website, which also had the incorrect information, until I asked them to yesterday. Sue wrote today:
Pasta box artwork is going through review and will be going to the printer in the next few weeks. Error will be corrected on the next printing. Please reply back to me an Eden food you would like to try (view all on the web site) and I will sent it to you at the Raleigh NC address along with retail 55¢ off coupons to use at retail stores.
I had requested a refund, but am being offered a coupon to buy more products with labels that I now doubt.
While it's true that the label also said a serving size is 55 grams, even manager Sue Potter said that few people would weigh rather than measure their pasta. When the purchasing decision is being made in the grocery store, the easiest comparison is cups to cups with other brands.
Why does this matter? As we discussed last week, food labels are required so customers can make informed purchases. Lots of people don't look at labels at all, but for some they are vitally important. In this case, I used the label to make sure my family was getting enough protein. Other families will use them to avoid allergic reactions or for other dietary or moral concerns. (No yogurt with gelatin for me, thanks.) In this economy, many families struggle with feeding their families on very limited budgets, so accurate nutritional information is essential.
And the way a company responds on a known issue gives you an idea of how they will respond on internal ones we can't guess at. I actually trust Newman's Own more now than I did before working with them about their label problem but will not be buying from Eden Organic again.
I'm very happy to have found this out before sending Wildly Affordable Organic to my publisher in a few weeks. My pasta recommendations will go back to being Barilla Plus or Whole Foods Organic Whole-Wheat Rotini. And I'm going to continue cooking as much of my food from scratch as possible to minimize the chances of being misled by a label.
Here's the contact page for Eden Organics if you'd like to let them know that you want them to provide truth in packaging. I'll be posting updates on my blog, such as any response I get from Whole Foods, where I bought the pasta.