Custom print labels on food products may be misleading dieters into thinking they are healthier than is really the case.

This is the conclusion of a study carried out in the US, which found that the choice of words on food packaging had an influence on shoppers' presumptions about what was contained within.

For example, milkshakes that were labelled as smoothies led consumers to believe they were buying something good for them, as did crisps named veggie chips, scientists at the University of South Carolina discovered.

Furthermore, when the team put together a 900-calorie bowl of pasta, salami, cheese and other ingredients, shoppers assumed it was lower in calories if it was deemed to be a 'salad' rather than a 'pasta' dish.

The study is published in the Journal of Consumer Research and suggests peelable labels need clearer information if the government is to stem obesity.

Last month, Greg Knight, Conservative MP for East Yorkshire, criticised manufacturers for labelling meat products as British when they are not.

Denny Bros Ltd, 10 May 2011