The Quebec Coalition on Weight-Related Problems says consumers face confusing choices. (CBC)A Quebec group fighting obesity is asking Health Canada to regulate manufacturers' logos used in food labelling that promote products as healthier choices.

The Quebec Coalition on Weight-Related Problems says the criteria for the Smart Spot, Smart Choice, and Snackwise designations are determined by manufacturers and often appear on products that are far from healthy.

"Consumers are really confused," said the coalition's director, Suzie Pellerin.

"They have so many logos at the grocery store that they need to have a clear and correct system."

Misleading choices

The logos appear a wide range of products from chocolate bars to chips, said nutritionist Stéphanie Côté.

For example, Côté said a bag of Lay's Lightly Salted chips featuring PepsiCo's Smart Spot logo may contain 50 per cent less sodium than a bag of Lay's Classic chips, but a serving still has 18 grams of fat.

Suzie Pellerin of the Quebec Coalition on Weight-Related Problems says consumers need a clear and correct labelling system. (CBC)"They're still chips," said Côté. "It is still a food we should only eat on an occasional basis."

Even what some might consider a healthier choice. such as a Quaker Dipps granola bar, still contains four grams of fat, and the equivalent of two teaspoons of sugar.

To choose the right products, consumers must rely not on the front of the box, but on the back of the box — where the nutrition label is found, said Francois Décary-Gilardeau, an analyst with consumers-rights group Option Consommateurs.

Complement to nutrition panel

In a statement, PepsiCo defended the use of its Smart Spot symbol.

"[It] is designed to complement the nutrition facts panel," Lori Kelly, a registered dietician and PepsiCo Canada's health and wellness director, said in a statement.

In a statement, Health Canada said the government is "taking concrete steps to protect consumers from misleading and unsubstantial health claims on foods."

The department said it "is reviewing its current framework for managing health claims for foods to allow greater flexibility for marketing the health benefits of food products."

According to Statistics Canada's 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey, 23.1 per cent of Canadians aged 18 or older, an estimated 5.5 million adults, had a body mass index ( BMI) of 30 or more, indicating that they were obese.