POM, the beverage company that turned an old pomegranate orchard into a money machine with POM Wonderful juices, is taking the Coca Cola Company, parent of Minute Maid, to court. The reason: false advertising.
According to POM, Minute Maid’s pomegranate juice name and label make it appear as if pomegranate is the main ingredient,
though the blend actually contains less than 0.3 percent of pomegranate juice and is over 99 percent apple and grape juice.
When customers see Minute Maid’s 59-ounce bottle selling for less than $4, compared to POM’s 16-ounce bottle at $4.99, they tend to opt for what appears to be a better deal.
But the issue goes beyond unfair competition, said POM spokesperson Rob Six. “Most people drink pomegranate juice for the health benefits. So, it fools with people’s health,” Six said. “We see it more as a consumer issue – a consumer alert issue.” read more…
What you need to know:
While POM has a point – Minute Maid is being very deceptive here – POM is not clean of deception either. Both companies tout the health benefits of the fruit they turned to juice, but fail to mention that most of the nutritional value is lost in the process. Not to mention the ridiculous amounts of sugar in these drinks, at the same level of Soda Pop. The standard single person bottle of POM contains 17 teaspoons of sugar! That’s not healthy.
What to do at the supermarket:
How about buying real fruit and eating it to get the maximum benefit from the vitamins and antioxidants? If you’re thirsty, drink tap water instead. If you insist on juice as an occasional treat, go for what tastes better. From personal experience, POM is superior, but comes at a much higher price.
