A rather typical example of the way in which the US food industry is putting one over on consumers with deceptive package labeling--from Nutrition Action newsletter, March 20, 2016:
The new Duncan Hines “Perfect Size” Cake is Anything But Perfect
A slice can be like four chocolate glazed doughnuts.
Bonnie Liebman
Apparently, there’s a cake crisis in America, if you believe Duncan Hines.
“Current cake mixes on the market serve about a dozen people,” says the company. “As a result, people don’t bake cakes as much for everyday occasions, because much of the cake ends up being thrown out.”
Holy cow! America is making too few cakes every day and throwing out too much of them! What can we do?
Relax. Duncan Hines has the solution: “Perfect Size” cake mixes. They’re “a complete baking kit designed to serve two to four people,” Hines says.
Just unwrap the mix, frosting, and disposable pan and you’ll find “everything you need to create special desserts everyday.”
Everything but the calculator, that is. This kit that’s designed to serve two to four people has a serving size listed as one-fifth of the package! How does that work?
If you cut your Golden Fudge “Perfect Size” cake into four quarters to feed four people, the portions are going to be small. But not the impact on your fanny. You’re looking at 440 calories, 11 grams of saturated fat (half a day’s worth), and 10 teaspoons of added sugars per slice.
You can double those numbers if your perfect size is half a cake, as it will be for many because, after all, it was designed to serve maybe two people.
That’s like eating seven Hostess Ho Hos or four Krispy Kreme Chocolate Iced Glazed Doughnuts. Make that a habit and kiss your “perfect size” body good-bye.
Maybe most of this cake should be thrown away!
But what do you expect when you’re adding butter and egg to a pile of sugar, white flour, and artificial food dyes?
Other flavors of Perfect Size Duncan Hines cakes are no better.
Caution: the lowish-looking nutrition numbers on the front of the box are for the cakes “as packaged,” not “as prepared.” Unless you eat the cake and frosting powder right out of the box, ignore them.
Duncan Hines is owned by Pinnacle Foods of Parsippany, New Jersey. The company also owns the Swanson, Open Pit, Vlasic, and Birds Eye brands.
Want to let the company know what you think? Call them at 1-800-362-9834.