View source for Globalisation:European Food Information Council: Snacking is good for you

On the [[EUFIC]] website the general advice on snacking is this - Avoidance of eating between meals is standard advice for body weight control, the rationale being that snacking leads to over consumption and thus contributes to weight gain. Some short term laboratory studies support this theory. Studies have demonstrated for example that when people are given a snack prior to a meal, the size of their subsequent meal is not affected. In other words they do not cut down on calories in the meal even after consuming a high calorie snack.<ref>"[http://www.eufic.org/article/en/expid/review-eating-between-meals-health/ Snacking and Calorie Control]",EUFIC website, accessed 14 November 2010</ref>

However, in a London Evening Standard article in 2001, it was reported that a newsletter had been produced by EUFIC advocating the opposite, that snacking could be helpful in controlling weight. <ref>" Colin Freeman; Paul House[http://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/nexis/returnTo.do?returnToKey=20_T10602398126/ Eurocrats' guide to snacking is hard to swallow]",The Evening Standard (accessed via NexisUK) accessed 14 November 2010</ref> The article reports - "EUFIC says that rather than consuming the recommended daily calorie intake in three goes - breakfast, lunch and dinner - people with weight problems should spread their eating to include three snacks as well.The key is to follow the "formula of eight". Each snack - midmorning, mid-afternoon and after-dinner - should be kept to no more than eight per cent of the total calorie intake. Eurocitizens should divide calorie intake thus: 12 per cent for breakfast, eight per cent midmorning, 32 per cent for lunch, eight per cent mid-afternoon, 32 per cent for dinner and eight per cent after dinner. For years the calories have been distributed at 20 per cent for breakfast and 40 per cent each for lunch and dinner. But it is better to follow the 'three eights' formula,"<ref>" Colin Freeman; Paul House[http://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/nexis/returnTo.do?returnToKey=20_T10602398126/ Eurocrats' guide to snacking is hard to swallow]",The Evening Standard (accessed via NexisUK) accessed 14 November 2010</ref>
This confusing advice is in direct contradiction to EUFIC's claim on it's homepage to 'provide information in a way that promotes consumer understanding'<ref>"[http://www.eufic.org/index/en/show/consumers/ Consumers Homepage]",EUFIC website, accessed 14 November 2010</ref>  It could also suggest a conflict of interest, as various EUFIC funders are manufacturers of snack type foodstuffs.

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