‘Fake news’ about food is already 30% of fake news on the internet
‘Milk is less healthy than vegetable drinks’, ‘natural is healthier than processed’, ‘meat is less healthy than vegetable protein’ and ‘sugar is poison’ are some of the myths that continue to circulate on social networks and the internet and that scientific evidence has been repeatedly debunking. According to the ‘Health, food and fake news’ reportprepared by LLYC, fake news related to food already means 30% of all false information on the internet. They also spread easily: they are up to seven times faster than real news. How to deal with this phenomenon, which can undermine the prestige of a productive sector and cause changes in the population’s eating habits? From the Food Office of this consultancy They propose to anticipate the hoaxes and myths preparing organizations to face this type of circumstances, as well as have effective and coordinated responses prepared. In addition to measuring the impact and rebuilding trust through different campaigns.
In its research, LLYC analyzes three practical cases of food misinformation: The first refers to the controversy derived from strawberries imported from Morocco supposedly irrigated with sewage, based on a limited and limited real health alert, which was issued in March of last year. Another case is the questioning nutritional quality of the panga (a freshwater fish of Asian origin) between 2016 and 2017, in which well-known television programs questioned farming methods in Vietnam, and which led to Carrefour to stop selling it since January 2017 in Europe. A final example refers to the nutritional values of palm oil, a campaign promoted by environmental and health NGOs, together with activists. The industry ended up reformulating its products or seeking sustainability certifications to recover its lost reputation.
“A transversal and strategic phenomenon”
Influencers, social networks,… phenomena such as misinformation and infoxication or data overload and contradictory messages are the order of the day. For Fernando Moraleda, ddirector of the LLYC Food Office and former Secretary of State for Communication (2004-2008), we are facing “a transversal and strategic phenomenon for a country like ours, with the highest food safety standards”. In this sense, he regretted during the presentation of the Report this Tuesday that “many notions are born from hoaxes and rumors in the food field” and warned that “The speed of disinformation is a key factor so you have to react in time and AI is an ally.” For Moraleda you have to fight the battle with “a narrative framework of its own” since, he adds, “trust is proactive, not defensive” and is committed to adopting “measures to establish the message.”
Not all science is equally valid
TOIn this regard, the doctor and scientific advisor of LLYC Olga Rodríguez, who is also co-author of the report, warns that “Not all scientific studies are the same nor do they have the same levels of scientific evidence.” To make sure that we are dealing with the best possible scientific evidence, Rodríguez advises looking at three aspects: the paper quality (methodology, which publication it is in, etc…), as well as in “the coherence with the environment” (if what exists and what is published is related) and the financing of the study (what interests are behind it?). For Ana Pastor, journalist and founder of Newtral, she points out that we are in “the “Stage of anger” and points out that the main challenge is found in “new narratives and artificial intelligence (AI).”
Confusion at the point of sale
The report also warns against the confusion that can be generated at the point of sale to the consumer, despite the advances in European legislation, which attempts to unify all the regulation of the Twenty-Eight through initiatives such as the European Regulation 1169/2011. Specifically, from LLYC they point towards the nutritional labeling who consider that it sometimes becomes “a cognitive barrier” with concepts such as ‘recommended portion’ or ‘percentages of daily intake’ and cite un OCU study in which 45% of Spanish consumers They admit that they have trouble understanding labels.
Likewise, they warn against the use of certain terms that take advantage of certain legal loopholes such as ‘natural’, ‘artisan’, ‘homemade’ or ‘light’ which may meet certain technical requirements but may hide excesses in other ingredients such as salt or sodium. Added to this is the design of the packaging, which, according to this consultancy, can appeal to the most emotional side of our brains through certain colors or fonts and the use of a simplification system such as ‘Nutri-score’with paradoxes such as giving extra virgin olive oil a lower score than any refined vegetable oil.
