Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia on the side-lines of the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit held in Singapore on November 19 to 21, Toshiharu Tanaka, R&D planning specialist, Kewpie Corporation pointed out the ongoing spread of misinformation related to nutrition in social media platforms, as well as on video sharing platform YouTube.
Some of these information are circulated and discussed by doctors and nutritionists.
Although they could be spreading the right information, the information may not be the “whole truth”, said Tanaka.
“Lots of doctors or nutritionists are using YouTube to talk about nutrition issues, but they are doing it at the surface level, and that would result in many consumers to say no to [components like] sugars and fats.
“Of course, nutritionists and doctors are telling the truth, but they don’t mention the whole picture.”
Kewpie, a major player in the mayonnaise and food dressing sector, is particularly affected when it comes to misinformation related to eggs and cholesterol - since eggs is the main component for making these products.
For years, high cholesterol amounts has been said to be the biggest health risk for consuming eggs.
However, Tanaka pointed out that cohort studies have shown that egg cholesterol would not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
“In terms of eggs, cholesterol is the biggest issue. Egg yolk has a huge amount of cholesterol, but considering the cohort studies in the world, egg cholesterol will not introduce to heart or brain disease.”
A study published in BMJ in 2020, which looked at three cohort studies and an meta-analysis, concluded that moderate egg consumption up to one egg per day, is not associated with cardiovascular disease risk overall.
The study also reported that moderate egg consumption is associated with potentially lower cardiovascular disease risk in Asian populations.
To address misinformation, Kewpie has been trying to educate consumers by putting up comprehensive information on its website, as well as setting up egg and vegetable societies helmed by professors to lend credibility to these societies.
Watch the following video as Tanaka tells us more about Kewpie’s efforts at addressing nutrition-related misinformation.
Tanaka added that as food companies, it was important for them to spread the right information wouldn’t forcing it upon consumers.
“When I talked to the food education society, the professor told us that getting along with the consumers is very important. It is very important to not to press information on them, but we can keep educating them on the right information.”
