Someone's Got Some 'Splainin' To Do
So, I'm in the local Safeway looking for pitas for tonight's falafal. I see standard, Safeway brand 60% whole wheat pitas, and Weight Watchers 100% whole wheat. Looking at the labels, I see that Safeway's nutritional values are given per whole pita, whereas Weight Watchers are given for only a half pita. Expanding them out to compare equivalent servings, I get:
| Safeway | Weight Watchers | |||
| Whole Pita | 1/2 Pita | Whole Pita | ||
| 59g | 33g | 66g | ||
| Calories | 140 | 90 | 180 | |
| Fat | g | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Saturated Fat | g | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Cholesterol | mg | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sodium | mg | 230 | 160 | 320 |
| Carbohydrates | g | 28 | 16 | 32 |
| Fibre | g | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Sugar | g | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Protein | g | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Price per 6 Pitas | $2.49 | $3.00 on sale | ||
In other words, the Weight Watchers is "healthier" only because, for 50¢ (on sale), they suggest that a serving should be half the size. To me this is trading on their reputation, playing to people's expectation that because something says Weight Watchers it must be healthier, while gouging them with higher priced products.
As I said, someone's got some 'splainin' to do!