Seven’s show based on “oversimplified pseudo-science”, claims Bellamy’s Organic

Tasmanian organic food producer Bellamy’s Organic has responded angrily to claims made about its products on the Channel Seven program Sunday Night, which aired on 11 March.

In response to presenter David Gillespie’s and reporter Peter FitzSimons’ claims that Bellamy’s Organic Apple Snacks contain excessive amounts of sugar, the company said its products contain no added sugars and that Gillespie was “mistaken to criticise the sugar content of the featured Bellamy’s product”.

While acknowledging the seriousness of the topic of the obesity epidemic, the company claimed that Gillespie had reduced the debate “down to oversimplified pseudo-science”.

Bellamy’s Organic lamented the fact that it was not approached prior to the program going to air to clarify its position or defend its products.

The program stated that Bellamy’s Organic Apple Snacks contain 80% sugar. Bellamy’s Organic said that this information was conveyed “in a way that was negative about the nutritional value of [its] products”. The company argued that its dried organic apple slices contain the same fructose content as fresh organic apple and stated that “all fruit contains the naturally occurring sugar called fructose”.

In defence of its product, Laura McBain posted a news item on the Bellamy’s Organic website, quoting a response to the Channel Seven program from the National Glycemic Index Foundation that said, “The claim that ‘sugar is toxic’ is not supported by the vast majority of health professionals… It is a common misunderstanding that all sugars have a high GI… In fact, many sugar-containing foods also have a low GI.”

McBain’s posting reiterated that Bellamy’s Organics products contain no added sugar and called claims that there is ‘bad’ sugar in its products “simply nonsense”.