Serving Sizes... Really?
 

I was at the grocery store last night and I bought some of those Diet Snapple "to go" single packets to put in my water. It says "Only 5 calories a serving!" on the box, and then when I go to look at the nutrition label, sure enough it's 5 calories for HALF A PACKET. Who the heck only uses half a packet? What do you do with the part of the packet you don't use? It's not like these things are resealable!

It's kinda like when you get a jar of whole pickles and it tells you a serving size is half of a pickle. I mean seriously, who thinks up these things? Is it just a way to make you think you're consuming less calories than you actually are?

I'm chuckling but only because I totally agree with you. Marketing people think them up. I imagine their first question is "how can we get people to buy this when it's supposed to be a diet product and a true single serving has more calories than they'll likely want?" It must be a trend because I've come across a lot of products where you open up a package and it turns out it "about 2" servings. I love that one, too -- ABOUT 2. Does that mean a little less or a little more than 2 servings. Labeling is a wonderful thing, but you definitely have to read the labeling as opposed to the advertising fluff on the packaging.

Actually, I think the FDA sets serving sizes. I'm guessing that the snapple to go is for 16 ounces of water and a serving size is 8 oz.

I don't have any Diet Snapple Packets but I do have Crystal Light Packets there info is exactly the same a serving is half a packet however that is only 5 calories so count two servings at 10 calories.

This!

Nelie's right. Serving sizes that appear on labels, at least in the US, are set by the FDA, as "Reference Amount Customarily Consumed". The RACC of a beverage/liquid is set at 240ml/8 oz, so a packet made for 16 oz of water has to be labeled as 2 servings.

You can see the table here:

http://www.tpgtex.com/PDFs/Serving_size_table2.pdf

I think one packet is meant to make 1 bottle which fills 2 cups? like you can mix it all in a bottle and pour 2 cups from it maybe for you and someone else or pour half and keep half in the fridge to drink later? like on a packet of cookies you can see they state how many servings and calories per serving on the nutritional facts...not supposed to have it all at once. 5cals, 10cals I think it's ok to have 2 servings at once if you want.

I completely agree. I understand that the FDA mandates certain serving sizes, but I think it would be could for some products to have "Calories Per Container" stated in an obvious place.

I buy a brand of tuna and one can contains 142 grams. A serving size is 56 grams. It says on the can "Servings per container: About 2" Ummmmm no, "about 2" would mean around 112 grams.

I always ate half a package of Ramen because of that. I don't like to eat more than a recommended serving of anything calorie dense!

I understand they are counting 2 portions based on an 8 ounce cup size, but still kind of ironic when the instructions on the packet say "Pour into a 16 oz bottle of water." lol!

It's not too big a deal when it's 5 calories worth of a drink mix but it is definitely a problem when so many other packaged foods are made to seem like it's a reasonable portion and then you find out the calorie count is for 2, 3 or more portions per package.

I don't use a whole packet!!!! I usually get about 3 "servings" that I put into my 16 oz glasses of water.

I find them very sweet, so I use a tsp measure to dish it out...

Just thought I'd say there is someone out here who saves them!

If you think that's misleading you should buy a food scale. I have been weighing my food for a few months now and I know that X calories per serving is misleading. Bread for example, the label may say 70 calories per serving (which I would consider one slice) and a serving is 24g, but if you weigh the slice it may be 30g so I may be consuming more calories than I am counting. I have found the same in most food. It can go the other way too. I weighed my pop chips and found that based on weight I could eat more than the number listed on the package.

I agree some things should list calories per container. It would be so much easier.