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Health food fads Myths and regulations
Simply black: Move over kale, itâs time for activated charcoal now
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Simply black: Move over kale, itâs time for activated charcoal now.(Courtesy of Juice Generation)" border="0" height="346" width="510">Simply black: Move over kale, itâs time for activated charcoal now.(Courtesy of Juice Generation)Unlike trends in fashion that come and go, todayâs hot item in the health food market will remain on an ever-elongating list.
If last year kale was the new craze that food businesses made into a patty, this year it is naturally activated charcoal â thanks to versatile actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who has it in her lemonade.
Touted as the best thing on the detox scene because of its ability to limit the bodyâs absorption of toxins, the tar-colored elixirs have replaced conservative green juices.
While it traditionally consumed to stop diarrhea or as a remedy for food-poisoning, now charcoal can be found everywhere: in your toothpaste and even in your food.
As consumers believe that activated charcoal, also called activated carbon, can boost energy and make flatter stomachs while flushing toxins out of the system, an article in time.com posted on March 6 pointed out that there was very little research about its use by average people and over a long period of time to back up the claims.
Peopleâs lack of knowledge of the health benefits of what marketers label as health food, however, doesnât hinder sales.
With that concern in mind, nutritionist Hardinsyah, who chairs the Indonesian Nutritionists and Food Experts Association (Pergizi Pangan Indonesia), said that all food sold as health food should be registered and verified by the Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) to ensure consumersâ safety.
âThe agency has a measurement table on the minimum amount of nutrition that has to be contained in food for it to be declared as health food, even if the food is imported and has been certified as health food in its producing country,â he said in a recent interview.
He cited green tea extract as an example of health food since its catechin content has been proven to be highly nutritious if being consumed in certain amounts.
âThe green tea powder is later added on ice cream, chocolate candies, smoothies or donuts. Is the nutrition still equal? Consumers may end up consuming more sugar,â he said.
Hardinsyah acknowledged that Indonesia has become a lucrative market for health food products as more people are eager to maintain healthy lifestyles and to keep the ideal body shapes.
According to him, the government, however, could not keep the distribution and the consumption of unregistered health food in check and relies only on public complaints to start investigations.
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) is at the forefront of receiving public complaints and of the campaign for health food.
The YLKI researcher for food and nutrition, Ilyani S. Andang, lamented over the fact that the government had yet to formulate a definition of health food.
âAs the consequence, it is difficult to take any measures against unscrupulous producers or advertisers who overly claim the health benefits of the products that misled consumers,â she said.
Simply black: <)
Simply black: Move over kale, it's time for activated charcoal now.(Courtesy of Juice Generation)
Unlike trends in fashion that come and go, today's hot item in the health food market will remain on an ever-elongating list.
If last year kale was the new craze that food businesses made into a patty, this year it is naturally activated charcoal ' thanks to versatile actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who has it in her lemonade.
Touted as the best thing on the detox scene because of its ability to limit the body's absorption of toxins, the tar-colored elixirs have replaced conservative green juices.
While it traditionally consumed to stop diarrhea or as a remedy for food-poisoning, now charcoal can be found everywhere: in your toothpaste and even in your food.
As consumers believe that activated charcoal, also called activated carbon, can boost energy and make flatter stomachs while flushing toxins out of the system, an article in time.com posted on March 6 pointed out that there was very little research about its use by average people and over a long period of time to back up the claims.
People's lack of knowledge of the health benefits of what marketers label as health food, however, doesn't hinder sales.
With that concern in mind, nutritionist Hardinsyah, who chairs the Indonesian Nutritionists and Food Experts Association (Pergizi Pangan Indonesia), said that all food sold as health food should be registered and verified by the Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) to ensure consumers' safety.
'The agency has a measurement table on the minimum amount of nutrition that has to be contained in food for it to be declared as health food, even if the food is imported and has been certified as health food in its producing country,' he said in a recent interview.
He cited green tea extract as an example of health food since its catechin content has been proven to be highly nutritious if being consumed in certain amounts.
'The green tea powder is later added on ice cream, chocolate candies, smoothies or donuts. Is the nutrition still equal? Consumers may end up consuming more sugar,' he said.
Hardinsyah acknowledged that Indonesia has become a lucrative market for health food products as more people are eager to maintain healthy lifestyles and to keep the ideal body shapes.
According to him, the government, however, could not keep the distribution and the consumption of unregistered health food in check and relies only on public complaints to start investigations.
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) is at the forefront of receiving public complaints and of the campaign for health food.
The YLKI researcher for food and nutrition, Ilyani S. Andang, lamented over the fact that the government had yet to formulate a definition of health food.
'As the consequence, it is difficult to take any measures against unscrupulous producers or advertisers who overly claim the health benefits of the products that misled consumers,' she said.
The non-governmental organization started its campaign on March 15 to coincide with World Consumers Day by suggesting the government draw up stricter regulations on health food.
Among the main points in their proposal was the requirement for producers to reveal the nutrition facts of their products.
'Many products are sold or advertised as health food while in fact they contain high amounts of sugar or preservatives. It also applies to fresh food. If the vegetable comes from an organic farm, just say so. It's misleading if the vegetable is labeled as something else,' said Ilyani.
'We also ask the government to set a limit on the commercial content of food and beverages for children because most of them exaggerate the health benefit of a single ingredient, although an insufficient amount of the ingredient is used in the product.'
The campaign was embarked upon following the result of the latest Basic Health Research made by the Health Ministry in 2013.
The research found that the number of Indonesians suffering illness related to poor lifestyle and diet has steadily increasing over five years, while the prevalence of children age 5 and under suffering from malnutrition increased to 19.6 percent.
'The World Health Organization also finds our children in a grim condition known as 'triple burden' in which they are suffering from either malnourishment, obesity, or stunted growth.
'If the government fails to address the issue now, in the near future it will suffer bankruptcy from paying people's hospital bills.'
Hardinsyah suggested consumers to always take health food with a figurative pinch of salt.
'When a new ingredient is introduced as health food, consumers are advised to learn more about it and conduct their own research about the pros and cons of the product. Otherwise, they can always consult with a nutritionist,' he said.
