| TRUE | if the statement agrees with the information |
| FALSE | if the statement contradicts the information |
| NOT GIVEN | if there is no information on this |
Healthy Food?
C. All this has attracted the attention of regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. They are concerned that some of these health claims may be misleading or unsupported by evidence, and are tightening the rules. On October 20th America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would overhaul the rules for nutritional claims on food labels and issue new standards early next year. It has already rebuked General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, a popular breakfast cereal, for claiming that it is “clinically proven to lower cholesterol”. The European Food Safety Authority is also cracking down, requiring companies to back up health and nutrition claims with scientific studies. Hundreds of applications submitted to its scientific panel have just been turned down. The panel has decided that there is not enough evidence to claim that, for instance, heather helps you sleep, dried cocoa extract helps you lose weight, quinoa makes your hair grow and Jerusalem artichokes make your gut healthy.
D. Many in the industry are howling that these rules are heavy-handed, given that most of their products are perfectly safe and that some health claims go back decades or more. Demanding expensive studies to justify such claims will stifle innovation, they argue, and tilt the playing field against smaller firms, which will be unable to afford them. Surely, they say, firms that find profit in adding iron, iodine, zinc and vitamins to their products, or cutting levels of high-fructose corn syrup or saturated fat, ought to be applauded, not denounced. Many food brands started off as a means of reassuring customers that products were trustworthy. The desire to defend their brands gives food firms a strong incentive to ensure that their products are safe.
E. The situation now however is that food companies are claiming their products provide specific benefits-not merely that they are safe to eat. Ordinary folk cannot tell whether health claims made by food marketers are scientifically valid, so there is a case for regulatory scrutiny of such claims. What’s more, even though it is difficult to imagine someone being harmed by eating too much breakfast cereal or yogurt, say, there is a risk of harm if health claims made about functional foods encourage people to see them as substitutes for drugs or lifestyle changes they may need. A few helpings of vegetables will do more good than any probiotic yogurt.
F. A lesson from the drugs industry is that industry-funded studies have a clear tendency to produce results that please their sponsors. So food companies should have to register all studies and publish even those with unfavourable results. Clear guidelines on labelling are also important. To its credit, the FDA recently proposed rules that would force food companies to publish all the important components of their products on the front of their packages, rather than picking out the healthy ones and keeping quiet about the fat, salt and sugar.
G. The industry’s claim that greater scrutiny will kill innovation is off the mark. Those firms making misleading claims will suffer; those prepared to invest in proper scientific studies to back up their supposed breakthroughs will benefit. And in pharmaceuticals, smaller firms seem to be more innovative than bigger ones. If food companies wish to make the sorts of claims about their products that pharmaceutical companies do, they must be prepared to submit to similar scrutiny. Extraordinary claims, after all, require extraordinary evidence.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Question Focus: Contradiction - reasons for investment are profit and growth, not health
Correct Answer: FALSE
Why this is correct: The statement says companies invest because they are healthier, but the passage says the real reason is higher margins and faster growth. This directly contradicts the idea that health is the main motivation, so the answer is FALSE.
Passage Reference: Such products may appeal both to health-conscious buyers and to people who know they eat unhealthily, but hope that some vitamins here and some probiotics there might compensate for the junk. Best of all, from the food companies' point of view, these 'functional foods', which blur the line between foods and drugs, hold out the promise of higher margins and faster growth. In western Europe sales of functional foods grew by 10.2% a year between 2006 and 2009, for example, whereas sales of packaged food grew by 6.3%.
Common Mistake: Students often choose TRUE because the products sound healthy. But the passage clearly focuses on profit and growth, not improving health. This is a Contradiction trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'hold out the promise of higher margins and faster growth' = Statement: 'because they are healthier'
Tips: Always ask why something happens. If the passage gives a business reason and the statement gives a health reason, check carefully for contradiction.
Key Vocabulary:
- functional foods = foods with added health claims
- margins = profit
- blur the line = make the difference unclear
Question Focus: Synonym match - revise legislation = overhaul rules and issue new standards
Correct Answer: TRUE
Passage Reference: On October 20th America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would overhaul the rules for nutritional claims on food labels and issue new standards early next year. It has already rebuked General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, a popular breakfast cereal, for claiming that it is 'clinically proven to lower cholesterol'.
Why this is correct: The statement says the FDA will revise the legislation on food labels next year. The passage says it will overhaul the rules and issue new standards early next year, which has the same meaning, so the answer is TRUE.
Common Mistake: Some students miss this because the words are different. But this is a clear Synonym match, not a different idea.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'overhaul the rules for nutritional claims on food labels' = Statement: 'revise the legislation on food labels'
Tips: Do not look for the same words. Look for the same meaning, especially with verbs like revise, change, overhaul.
Key Vocabulary:
- overhaul = completely change
- standards = official rules
- rebuked = officially criticised
Question Focus: Not Given - attitude of the whole industry welcoming demands
Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN
Passage Reference: Many in the industry are howling that these rules are heavy-handed, given that most of their products are perfectly safe and that some health claims go back decades or more. Demanding expensive studies to justify such claims will stifle innovation, they argue, and tilt the playing field against smaller firms, which will be unable to afford them.
Why this is correct: The passage tells us that many in the industry are howling and arguing against the rules. It does not say whether the food industry as a whole welcomes the new demands, or that they welcome them at all. The passage does not discuss this specific claim, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.
Common Mistake: Students often choose FALSE because the industry complains. But the statement says the food industry welcomes the demands, and the passage never clearly states the overall industry position. This is a Not Given trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'many in the industry are howling that these rules are heavy-handed' = Statement: 'the food industry welcomes the regulators new demands'
Tips: For NOT GIVEN, be very precise. Ask yourself: does the passage clearly answer this exact question, yes or no?
Key Vocabulary:
- heavy-handed = too strict
- stifle = stop or limit
- tilt the playing field = make conditions unfair
General Tips:
- TFNG questions follow passage order. Use where you found the last answer to locate the next one faster.
- If you cannot find a clear contradiction, do not choose FALSE. Lack of information usually means NOT GIVEN.
- Watch out for reasons and causes. IELTS often changes the reason why something happens.
- Do not use your own opinion or real-world knowledge. Only decide from what the passage says.
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