It's often missing in action. More than half of foods targeted to kids that show fruit on the packaging (such as cereal and juice) actually contain none at all, says a new report from an alliance of California health organizations. It's up to you to determine whether a food is fruit-full. Here, a breakdown of the label lingo, from Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association:
There's real fruit if...
One of the first three ingredients listed is: fruit (or berries, raisins, etc.); fruit puree; dried fruit; fruit juice; or fruit concentrate. Or the label says "100 percent fruit juice."
There's no fruit if...
The only ingredients listed that resemble fruit are: natural fruit flavoring; artificial fruit flavoring; or fruit pigments. Or the label says "fruit drink" instead of "fruit juice."
