I have a ”beef” with Wolfgang!
I’ve noticed for a number of years that often when an item in a
store gets replaced with the same thing in newly designed
packaging, the contents change as well. And often NOT for the better. Typical
changes involve increased salt or sugar. An example? There was a
pickled Green Tomatillo relish that my husband really liked. One day the label design changed. Same product? No – they increased the
amount of sugar dramatically. How did I know? I had an older jar, with older label, in my fridge. That
was the last time I bought it, my husband survives without it just fine, and
I’ve since forgotten the brand.
I try to buy healthy food and I prefer to make my own soups. But for the few times when I can’t make it happen, it’s
worth having a spare can or two in the cupboard. I
discovered that Wolfgang Puck made a delicious Mexican Tortilla style spicy
soup that I thought was delicious. Don’t recall what it contained exactly, but it
got me to try his other soups. One is Organic Chicken with White & Wild
Rice.
Old can (on the left): with younger Wolfgang smiling to the
right of soup image.New can (on right): older Wolfgang, still smiling, now on
left side of soup image.
The company promotes new label design, while claiming it’s the “same
great soup.” It is not. Aside from label change (sadly less appealing – sorry
soup label designers, but you blew it on this one), what’s the difference? 190
mg of Sodium per serving!! The newer soup (same size 14.5 oz cans) has 830mg SODIUM
per serving, which is 60% of the can contents. The older soup has 640mg Sodium
per serving. That’s a lot of salt –
1,392mg if you finish the whole can of soup by yourself. Unfortunately I can’t
say it tasted any better than before.
According to the staff at the Mayo Clinic, “various organizations, including the National Academy of
Sciences' Institute
of Medicine, have published
recommendations on daily sodium limits. Most recommend not exceeding the range
of 1,500 and 2,400 milligrams (mg) a day for healthy adults. Keep in mind that
the lower your sodium, the more beneficial effect on blood pressure.”
Need some idea of scale? One teaspoon (5
milliliters) of table salt has 2,325 mg of sodium – close to the recommended
daily limit if you are in good health. If your doctor tells you to watch your
salt intake due to health concerns, then you should be aiming for the lower end
of the range. Check with your doctor and go to http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284
to learn more.
Some background on “old” and “new” cans above: “Old” can
bought a few months ago for $1.99 with expiration (or best by) date of Jan 14
2012. “New” can bought last month for $2.29 with expiration date of October 20
2011. Interesting that the “new” soup is being distributed by a different
company as well. So why have they chosen to add a significant amount of sodium,
while decreasing the product’s shelf life?
Labeling can be tricky…and can be designed to trick. The
cans – both old and new – state total net weight of 14.5 oz, serving size of 1
cup (245g), and “about 2” servings per container. That little word “about” is
important. The can doesn’t really contain 2 servings. It contains 14.5 oz
(411g), which is more accurately 1.67 servings.
Bottom line is Beware of new packaging and health claims and Read labels carefully.