False and misleading claims have been around just as long as we have been trading with other humans. Most societies evolve mores regarding trade in order to prevent the bloodshed that results from rampant swindling. But even those mores and even laws are pushed aside when economic interests are able gain sufficient economic control of the State's economy. Tobacco companies were able to make some quite outlandish claims for quite some time due to insufficient controls on their marketing.
And make no mistake, marketing is a huge industry, 1/2 Trillion U.S. dollars a year globally. That is a considerable amount of money to spend to try and convince you to purchase products. And they spend it not only on researching your wants and desires, but using psychology to manipulate you into making a consumer choice you would not otherwise make. Anyone that has attended a "free" time share weekend can attest to this.
Do you see the company names below? As you read them think of the products and advertising they use. And note you are aware of many if not all of that companies product's specialty. You know them because they were the top ten in advertising spending for 2012
Samsung
Amazon
IAC
Lions Gate
AbbVie
Discover
Dish Network
Honda
Kia
T-Mobile US
With advertising comes deception and that deception can take many forms in order to mislead shoppers.
Now the practice of Leanwashing specifically notes where companies try and implore marginal or non existent health benefits of their products. For instance claiming that diet soda is a healthy beverage choice. When the product simply has had concentrated sweeteners replaced with artificial sweeteners.
The site leanwashingindex.com has a good rundown of the leanwashing consumers face:
"Packagers and marketers do this all the time, taking advantage of the Food and Drug Administration’s somewhat loose guidelines for nutritional labeling. Many food products labeled “all natural” contain additives or were heavily processed before reaching the consumer. Because the FDA does not require percentages of each ingredient to be listed on labels, foods containing small amounts of processed whole grains can be marketed as “whole grain.” A “low-calorie” label means nothing when the serving size is unrealistically small. Some fast-food chains even say that for every milkshake or soda sold, they’ll contribute to the prevention of childhood diabetes.
Leanwashing isn’t limited to foods and beverages. Any product that claims to improve our health should be evaluated carefully. For example, Reebok recently paid a $25 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission alleging that the company made false health claims about its EasyTone shoes. Reebok had advertised the shoes’ ability to increase muscle tone by up to 28 percent. This claim was found to be unsupported, and that was enough to drive the government to act on behalf of consumers.
Examples of leanwashing can be found all around us — including TV and print ads, store aisles, product labels, restaurant menus, vending machines, and sponsorships.
The purpose of this site is to give you a forum to post, rate, and comment on these claims. We hope that along the way you’ll learn to spot leanwashing and make more educated choices about the products you buy. We want those products to benefit your health, not just the companies’ bottom line."