Is this misleading, or am I being stupid?

Okell

I bought this instore at Sainsburys

Nissin Soba Protein Classic Instant Wok Style Noodles Pot 92g | Sainsbury's

The reason I bought it was simple. It said in very large lettering on the front "Source of protein - 18g per pack". I reasonably took the "per pack" at face value and took it to mean "per pot". I would not have bought it but for this protein claim.

Apparently the net weight of the contents of the pot is 92g, but the nutrition information on the Sainsburys website says that the protein content "as prepared 100g" is only 8.6g, and "as prepared 210g**" is 18g.

There is a ** at the bottom of the nutrition table that says "The packaging contains one portion, which is 210g after preparation".

Can anybody explain to me what all of this means?

Does a single pot of this product contain 18g of protein as claimed - ie which seems to be one portion of 210g after preparation - or does it only contain 7.9g? (ie 8.6g for 100g prorated down for a 92g pot)

The only "preparation" required is to add hot water. How can adding hot water increase all the nutritional content by a factor of 2.1 which is what the nutrition information table seems to be saying?

[Edit: I should add that the Sainsburys nutrition table simply replicates the manufacturer's nutrition table on the back of the pot - which is virtually illegible as it is in a type face about one fifth - or smaller - that the main claim of 18g]

user1977

The dried product in the pack includes 18g of protein. If you add 118ml of water to the pack to make the 210g serving then you still have 18g of protein. If you half that portion, each half has 9g of protein.

Alderbank

You are comparing apples and oranges.

The pack contains the promised 18g of protein.

The dry pot as bought contains 18g of protein. Adding water doesn't change that total amount of protein. If you add a cupful of water the resultant mix contains 18g of protein. If you add a gallon of water it still contains a total of 18 g of protein. The nutritional content in grams hasn't changed.

They recommend preparing it by adding hot water to make a drink totalling 210g. That contains - you've got it - 18g of protein. 100g of that drink, just under half of it, contains just less than half of 18g of protein, 8.6g to be precise.

The grammes per 100g is a standardised amount so that you can compare the protein content with other drinks

ETA: Apologies @user1977, crossed post.

oldernonethewiser

If you want to check

8.6 ÷ 100 x 210 = 18.06

Nothing misleading.

As stated the per 100g is found on most packaged food products so you can compare like for like.

Okell

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81985612#Comment_81985612

Maybe it's me ( 😄 ) but I find the way it is expressed non-transparent and unnecessarily confusing.

If the dry net weight, 92g, of the pack contains 18g of protein, i would expect the nutrition table simply to show 19.6g of protein per 100g dry weight, and 18g of protein per pack.

How does "as prepared" provide any additional useful information when all you are doing to prepare it is to add hot water with zero nutritional value? "Preparing" it doesn't alter any nutritional content of the pot, but saying "as prepared" implies - to me at least - that it does, and that it is different from the 18g claim in bold on the front.

[I should add that the reason i raised this is because my wife is a rower and spends a lot of time circuit and weight training and keeps close tabs on her protein intake. when she checked the product on her 'phone app she told me the 18g claim was not true and it only contained 7.9g according to her calculation…]

Okell

Well it seems I am stupid then and everybody is confirming that each pot contains 18g of protein!

As I've said I find the "as prepared" unnecessarily confusing and I don't understand how it adds anything to the presentation or understanding of the nutritional information.

I'd simply give values (a) per 100g dry weight and (b) per pack. Those values remain the same whether you add water or not and cannot be misunderstood.

user1977

Don't know exactly what the regs are but I'm guessing they are required to give you the "as prepared" figures. Packets of dried pasta do this as well - obviously it would be a bit more helpful to have the figures for weighing out the product before you cook it.

Okell

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81985612#Comment_81985612

Yes, but the directions don't tell you to add 118ml of hot water to make a 210g portion - they tell you to add hot water to the fill line - in which case i would say that the second column of the nutrition table should simply reference "after filling to the fill line" and not introducing a spurious 210g from nowhere.

Never mind. I'll put on my dunce's cap and sit in the corner…

Okell

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81985662#Comment_81985662

I take your point that the regs may require it, but why have "as prepared" figures when the preparation itself (hot water) neither adds to nor subtracts from the nutritional value of the product?

So - for example - with dried pasta, do the nutritional values refer to cooked/prepared (wet) weight as you suggest, or to uncooked/unprepared (dry) weight? I weigh dry pasta before cooking to check calories, carbs and protein, but should I actually be weighing each portion of pasta after cooking and before serving?

I'll go back to my corner…

[Edit: if dried pasta nutritional information does refer to cooked/prepared wet weights and not to uncooked/unprepared dry weights, and if a portion of dried pasta increases in weight as it cooks - which I assume it does as it absorbs water - then that throws my wife's calorie controlled diet right out the window…]

user1977

It should be clear from the packet whether they refer to the product before or after cooking.

Not sure why it matters for pot noodles as I expect everyone is simply consuming one pot at a time anyway?

Alderbank

…'I take your point that the regs may require it, but why have "as prepared" figures when the preparation itself (hot water) neither adds to nor subtracts from the nutritional value of the product?'…

That's because in a great many cases the preparation does make a difference.

If your wife was instead preparing a protein shake mix which said 'mix the contents with 500ml of whole milk' then the preparation would make a considerable difference to the fat content, protein content, salt content, calorific content, vitamins A, D, B12, etc., of the drink 'as prepared'.