Foodstuffs Labels on oat milk and co.: they are confusing in excess
Labels on milk substitutes such as oat milk can overwhelm consumers. The content corresponds to the information on the packaging. However, "no added sugar" can be misleading. This is the conclusion reached by Agroscope after analyzing 66 products from supermarkets.
25.04.2025, 11:18
SDA
The labels actually provide consumers with helpful product information, as the Swiss Federal Competence Center for Agricultural Research Agroscope reported on its study on Friday. This can contribute to the purchase of healthier and more sustainable food.
In their comprehensive online market analysis, Agroscope researchers checked whether the labels matched the nutritional information and the price on the packaging. They collected the data from three Swiss supermarkets.
Many labels on one pack
They took a close look at eight types of labels ranging from nutrition to diet, allergy information, ecology and sustainability. These included terms such as "no added sugar", "dairy-free", "vegan" and similar.
The majority of the milk substitute products examined had three to six labels on the packaging. At least one was printed on the packaging, a maximum of nine. Eleven products had several labels with the same information.
According to Agroscope, nutrition-related labels such as the one with sugar information were most frequently found on the packaging (34 percent). Diet labels such as "vegan" were in second place with 29 percent, followed by allergy information with 18 percent.
No less sugar
The labels were correct in each case. According to Agroscope, however, "no added sugar" proved to be misleading. The sugar content of products labeled in this way is not lower than those without the label. This is because the corresponding milk alternatives have a high natural sugar content.
Although the label does not promise a lower sugar content, it could suggest one to the consumer, according to the research center.
Agroscope concludes that the large number of labels could overwhelm consumers. Suppliers should avoid potentially misleading labels. And consumers should be better informed about how to interpret nutritional information.
