Slendier Spaghetti Calorie Scam

deaglan1

Just a warning to anyone who has purchased Slendier range of spaghetti. The company goes out of its way to dupe you into believing that you are consuming far less calories than you actually are per the recommended serving.

Background - came across Slendier Spaghetti range (Organic Edmame Spaghetti; Organic Soybean Spaghetti; Organic Edamame Fettuccine; Organic Soybean Fettucine). I believe that there are more varieties. Came across them in Mr Price which was surprising & the price was really low €1 per box compared to purchasing elsewhere or online at €6.50 per box.

Each box, boldy claims in a star icon on the front of the box that a serve has less than 60 calories.

Each box contains 200 g of dry spaghetti.

The box states that there are four servings in the box. Using the mathematical nous of Einstein this would indicate that each serving equates to 50 g of dried spaghetti (which would be a pretty normal dry weight serving for any type of spaghetti).

On the back of the box, the nutritional and calorie content for 50 g spaghetti is printed and specifically states that the calorie content is 58 calories.

All well and good so far. BUT, the low calories per serving seemed way too good to be true. Initially, I reasoned that this form of spaghetti must therefore mainly consist of fibre and that most of it simply passes through the system. Then I checked competitors products, same type of spaghetti made from the same natural product. And as one might expect, the competitors' calorie values are way higher. Naively I requested clarification from Slendier and I am still awaiting a response!!! Fortunately, others have been more tenacious and eventually the company admitted that the calorie content printed on the box for 50 g of spaghetti refers to 50 g cooked spaghetti!!! One person took the 50 g dry spaghetti (= one serving) and found that it weighed 188 g when cooked. That is almost four times the weight of the dry product. So, the actual calorie consumption per recommended serving is 218 calories, not 58 calories. Slendier is being completely disingenuous, intentionally trying to dupe the consumer into equating 50 g dry serving with the calorie content of 50 g cooked. Fifty gram cooked equates with roughly 13 g dry, enough to feed a tiny toddler, maybe??

How they are allowed to get away with this false claim and are allowed to sell their product with this intentionally misleading information printed on the box is very strange.

Mellor

All well and good so far. BUT, the low calories per serving seemed way too good to be true. Initially, I reasoned that this form of spaghetti must therefore mainly consist of fibre and that most of it simply passes through the system

It's made from Edamame flour, rather then wheat flour. Edamame being a legume not a grain is much higher in protein and lower in carbs. Hence the lower calories.

Then I checked competitors products, same type of spaghetti made from the same natural product. And as one might expect, the competitors' calorie values are way higher. 

Which product? Normal pasta is made from natural ingredients. Natural doesn't mean low calories.

Fortunately, others have been more tenacious and eventually the company admitted that the calorie content printed on the box for 50 g of spaghetti refers to 50 g cooked spaghetti!!! One person took the 50 g dry spaghetti (= one serving) and found that it weighed 188 g when cooked.

The packet says it's cooked weight IIRC. The issue is that you don't know the dry weight that went into it. The serves per packet is wrong.

So, the actual calorie consumption per recommended serving is 218 calories, not 58 calories. Slendier is being completely disingenuous, intentionally trying to dupe the consumer into equating 50 g dry serving with the calorie content of 50 g cooked. Fifty gram cooked equates with roughly 13 g dry, enough to feed a tiny toddler, maybe??

It absorbs a lot of water, you can't have absolute confidence that the 188g value is the same amount of water as the tested values.

50g is a pretty big serving imo. I've bought it and figured out pretty quickly that there was more than 4 servings in it.

The extra calories are not good, but I highly doubt anyone was eating so much of it for it to make an impact. If they were, they have a have other issues overall (eg portional control)

How they are allowed to get away with this false claim and are allowed to sell their product with this intentionally misleading information printed on the box is very strange.

The box say cooked/prepared weight. The number of portions is wrong. Pretty common for manufacturers to understate the portion size, eg cereal.

deaglan1

Just came across your response to my initial posting. Thank you for your thoughts. The comparison was to competitors who also produce edamame based pastas, their products, like Slendier, consisting of green soybean with no other nutrients added. The calorie content on the boxes of the competitors clearly indicated the calories per 100g of the contents, i.e., the dried spaghetti. The recommended serving of any pasta is ~ 50 g dried (or 2 oz). This is not a subjective thought on my part, this is the globally accepted quantity per adult serving. I am not aware of any company, other than Slendier, that provides calorie information on their boxes referring to the calorie content of cooked pasta - it is meaningless information that can only be explained as an intentional deceptive ploy. Fifty grams of cooked pasta has the calorie content of just 20g of dry pasta or to put it more bluntly it has the calorie equivalent of just two fifths of a standard serving. On the boxes of Slendier pastas that I have scrutinized closely, there is no indication that the calorie values provided refer to cooked pasta - perhaps they have been forced to do so on their more recent boxes? Even then, what purpose does it serve to provide calorie content for what amounts to a small portion of the recognized adult serving? Everything about the Slendier approach is that of a company marketing a product by a deceptive method that dupes the consumer into believing that the recommended 50 g dried serving (4 servings per box of 200g is printed on the box) has the calorific value that they post on their box - it doesn't, period.

Mellor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122651386#Comment_122651386

I agree that a value for dried weight would be better. Per 100g would be best. But a lot of you other claims are misguided.

The recommended serving of any pasta is ~ 50 g dried (or 2 oz). This is not a subjective thought on my part, this is the globally accepted quantity per adult serving.

That is simply untrue.
Firstly, you can necessarily convert dried weight servings from one food (wheat pasta) in to another food (soy/edamame "pasta", rice, cous cous, beans, etc). They all cook different.
Secondly, the idea that there is a globally appropriate standard serving size is very misguided. We all have different needs. Services are standardised on a package to they can be compared, not because we should all eat that amount. 50g would be not enough for an active male and probably too much for a female on a diet - but both would depend on the rest of the meal.

I am not aware of any company, other than Slendier, that provides calorie information on their boxes referring to the calorie content of cooked pasta - it is meaningless information that can only be explained as an intentional deceptive ploy.

You probably need to look at more labels. Lots of foods give prepared values, often alongside dry tbf. Sauces, mixes etc will usually give both. Foods in oil or brine will often give the drained weight.

Fifty grams of cooked pasta has the calorie content of just 20g of dry pasta or to put it more bluntly it has the calorie equivalent of just two fifths of a standard serving. On the boxes of Slendier pastas that I have scrutinized closely, there is no indication that the calorie values provided refer to cooked pasta - perhaps they have been forced to do so on their more recent boxes?

Can you post an image of one of these you have scrutinised. Any that I have seen indicated it was cooked weight. I reference a pack I check above, it's not a recent change as far as I know.

Even then, what purpose does it serve to provide calorie content for what amounts to a small portion of the recognized adult serving? Everything about the Slendier approach is that of a company marketing a product by a deceptive method that dupes the consumer into believing that the recommended 50 g dried serving (4 servings per box of 200g is printed on the box) has the calorific value that they post on their box - it doesn't, period.

Weight out a serving size of muesli or granola. You are probably in for a shock. All cereals are like that tbh. Serving sizes are a very loose guide. Very common in weight loss targeted foods. Slendier seems to show incorrect servings per box, and alongside a low cooked weight serving.
I high doubt it has effected anyones weight loss unless theyare living on the stuff. They should be weighting their food