By Gracia Chiang

A brand of apple chips from the United States has raised eyebrows of shoppers here as the word 'healthier' - which appears in three places on the packaging - has been crossed out.

Consumers have gone online to post pictures of Seneca Apple Chips. Some have wondered if this is a prank by vandals while others ask if there are doubts about the nutritional value of the product.

But it is no prank.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) does not allow importers to make health claims freely on product labels but many consumers are not aware of that, it seems.

Which is why Ms Josephine Tay, 33, a trainer, was puzzled when she found the product with the words crossed out - in black ink - in FairPrice supermarkets.

'I wondered whether there was anything wrong,' she said, adding that she did not buy the chips, which cost $2.95 a packet.

Another shopper, freelance writer Benjamin Lee, 39, said: 'I knew the distributor probably ran into some issues but I wasn't sure what they were. I was more amused.' He too did not buy the product.

The AVA told The Sunday Times that words such as 'health' and 'healthy', when used alone on food labels, may be perceived by consumers that these attributes could be attained by consuming the product.

'Health can be achieved only through a nutritionally balanced diet,' it said.

The importer of the apple chips, Field Catering and Supplies, said there was a change in packaging by the American maker, Seneca Foods Corporation, earlier this year.

The older packaging had one mention of the word 'healthier' and that could be covered up with a sticker bearing information such as the importer's name and address.

The new packaging has three mentions of the word 'healthier' in various spots.

Said Field's marketing manager Francis Tan: 'Importers are not allowed to make any claims on product labels so the only way to continue bringing this product to Singapore is by blacking out the words.'

It is not possible for the US company to come up with a packaging for Singapore because of the smaller market here. He was unable to share sales figures.

(Page 1 of 2)To comply with the regulations, Mr Tan said up to two part-time workers spend one to two days at a Woodlands warehouse every time a container arrives. They have to unseal the cartons, cross out the words on each packet and re-seal the cartons for distribution. One container has around 1,000 cartons, with 12 packets each.

Mr Tan said the company pays $1.50 for the work on each carton but noted that the extra costs are minimal. He said sales have not dipped but have in fact gone up, due to the spiffy new packaging.

Health-care professionals lauded the strict AVA guidelines.

Said Ms Liong Suet Mei, a dietitian at the National University Hospital: 'It's good that the text is blocked out. Claims are consumer- friendly and easier to read compared to the information listed in the nutritional panel so consumers will tend to believe that.'

She added that most people might be drawn into thinking the chips are healthy just because the word 'apple' is present.

Ms Christine Ong, chief dietitian at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital, agreed.

She said the frying process may result in vitamins like vitamin C and folic acid being lost while the adding of salt or other seasonings leads to a higher sodium level compared to that of fresh fruit.

Diets rich in salt can lead to high blood pressure. 'It is possible for chips made from fruit to be unhealthy if they are fried as they would contain added fats,' she added.

graciac@sph.com.sg

This story was first published in thesundaytimes on Nov 23, 2008.

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