Review | Think you've got 'health food'? Big Fat Food Fraud will make you question everything you thought you knew
When personal trainer Jeff Scot Philips began selling protein-rich meals, he entered a world where facts were manipulated to boost sales, whatever the consequences
by Jeff Scot Philips
Regan Arts
If you remove the flab, there’s a lot to learn from Big Fat Food Fraud. A confessional and boast at the same time, it tells of how a United States health-food manufacturer that marketed pre-packaged weight-loss meals manipulated ingredients and labelling to boost sales.
The story follows the career of Jeff Scot Philips, a personal trainer who learns sales tactics from giants such as Weight Watchers to gain a consumer base for his protein-rich meals. But when his company grows and starts selling products with misleading promises, customers pile on the pounds again.
Avid readers of food labels will find out why they may be wasting their time. At their simplest, they are distractions: “low-fat” is a relative term and to be able to claim this, Philips writes, all manufacturers have to do is increase the sugar content. And alternative names for MSG include “soy protein” and “yeast extract”, which are used because they sound less scary.
Big Fat Food Fraud will make you question what you’ve believed about “health food”.
