A consumer watchdog Which? has stated that labels like ‘pure’, ‘natural’ and ‘fresh’ are confusing and consumers actually do not know what it means.

A study by the group found that about 33 per cent of shoppers thought 'real fruit' meant that the main ingredient of the product was fruit.

It was believed by about 43 per cent that about a quarter fruit juice was contained in products labelled 'juice drink'.

‘Juice drink’ is not subject to the European legislation unlike the terms 'fruit juice' and 'fruit juice from concentrate' are.

And this is the reason why anyone can legally use ‘real fruit’ and ‘juice drink’ to confuse consumers despite several products containing just five per cent juice concentrate.

Of Heinz Farmers' Market products, Which? Said, “While the image of these mass-produced soups flies in the face of what we understand by farmers' markets, local produce, legally there's nothing to stop Heinz using the term.”

‘Flavour’ means artificial flavouring and not many consumers know that.

The directions issued by the European food law that states that consumers should not be misled by labels while guidance on words and phrases are issued by the Food Standards Agency but this is not legally binding.

Which? chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith said, “It's essential that Defra remains consumer-focused, ensuring that words used on food labels are clear so that consumers know what they're getting.”