Reading the labels

Read the label before you buy.

Working here at POM Wonderful has many benefits.  A key benefit is getting a lot smarter about the trickery many food and beverage companies use to distract consumers. Recently, we did a product tasting and label review of a number of the new pomegranate juice products that have hit the shelves. It was quite enlightening and an important reminder to really pay attention to the food and beverage products I buy.

 Let’s share our learnings, starting with the product tasting.  We tried upwards of fourteen different pomegranate “juice” products.  Most tasted like an overly sweet kids drink and several were just plain awful (as in how fast can I spit this out!).  For any one who has ever enjoyed the taste of a fresh pomegranate, none of these products even came close to that experience. And even worse, for those who haven’t had the pleasure of eating the pomegranate seeds, they probably wouldn’t want to if they tried many of these fake pomegranate juice drinks.  No one came close to the distinct, delicious taste of POM.

Even more disturbing, though, was when we read the labels.  Many of these companies use fancy pomegranate fruit pictures on the front and bursts stating “contains 100% fruit juice.”  It’s quite reasonable to believe you’re getting 100% pomegranate juice, right?  Then we’d turn over the bottles and read the ingredients. Frequently, we’d find the first ingredient was water or apple juice.  (In case you didn’t know, it’s the law that ingredients must be listed in the highest-to-lowest order they’re used in the product.)  Somewhere down in the ingredients listing is where pomegranate juice would be listed.  And because the company had used some pomegranate juice, they would put the claim on the front “contains 100% fruit juice”.  Legal – yes. Right – no! 

These companies believe they can fool you – and they often do because we get so busy we don’t take the time to read the ingredients label.  But if you care about what you put in your body, read the ingredients. Don’t be fooled by pretty pictures and bright colored bursts on the front of the package.  A few minutes reading the labels can pay off for a life time of good health.  Healthy wishes.

Comments

[angel.xy]

I have just 1 question, or maybe 2:

First I want to tell you that
your juices are delicious and nutritious
I have been buying your juices very regularly,
in local stores in Toronto, Canada

What I want to know is
do your plastic bottles contain
Phthalate esters (Pthalates) or
Bisphenol-A or
Polycarbonate plastics

These plastics have been found
to be carcinogens and/or hormone disruptors
in animal and human studies
The Canadian Government is considering banning these
at least for infant toys and food containers
--as is your State and Federal Governments

If I have your bottles tested at an independent lab in Toronto
will they find Pthalates or Bisphenol-A or Polycarbonate plastics

If so, would you consider changing your juice containers
to less toxic plastics or glass ?

Thankyou for your attention

[pomblogger]

Thank you everyone for your feedback and comments, there is another good thread with similar feedback at Glass Dismissed (another post). Susan, just FYI...In a letter to PETA, Matt Tupper, POM president and CEO, stated: "Neither POM Wonderful nor its related entities provide funding for ongoing animal testing on POM Juice (or POM Tea). Moreover, there are no plans to do so in the future." What you are referring to has not been going on for some time, although we do appreciate your concern.

[Lori]

I am so glad I'm not the first to mention this. I was a huge fan of your POM greentea beverage right up to the point that you started packaging it in plastic bottles. I don't purchase anything in plastic. There is too much contraversy over the possibility of toxins from the plastic leaching into the product. I am so sad and you should be too, you have just lost a loyal customer.

[susan lock]

I have just learnt form the internet about your animal vivisection testing of your product. I have been buying POM but will now no longer and will tell my friends. It is shameful.

I expect this will not appear!

Regards, Susan.

[Tina]

I am so disapointed, YOU totally sold out! I purchased your tea not so much for the taste,but for the glass. Recycled plastic? I'm sure you did your research, So you know how much energy is wasted. The toxins released from plastic to your tea is another argument in its self. I and others I know used and reused your glass containers. Now that's recycled. REDUCE, REUSE, AND RECYCLE! So perhaps promoting reusing the glass or returning the glass would have been a global more responsible desision.

[Amber]

I commend POM for staying true to giving us (the consumers) great 100% pomegranate juice. There are too many other companies that have juices labeled as pure and that are mostly filler (apple, grape, etc) or water. Thanks, POM!