I caught an ad on TV the other evening. Florida's Natural was bashing Tropicana because Tropicana's OJ comes from oranges grown in the US and Brazil. It seems that most of the brands of OJ are using oranges from the US and other countries. Florida's Natural wants you to buy from them because they only use oranges grown in the US.
Check out their website with their claims.
I am all for supporting local agriculture. I am all for buying American.
So where does the lie part come in?
Apparently, all of their talk about supporting US farmers and buying American and so on ONLY applies to their orange juice.
As luck would have it, I just happened to pick up a box of Florida’s Natural fruit snacks while shopping at Target last week. Didn’t buy it- for some reason, I picked it up just to look at the label.
See the Florida’s Natural logo up there? And there is even a big old print area about the fruit being grown in the US.
What difference does it make if the fruit is grown in the US… just to be shipped to CHINA, messed with in CHINA, produced into something else in CHINA, packaged in CHINA, and then shipped back to the US??
See down there in the distribution info? Where it says “au’some?”
“Made responsibly in China.”
Lots of things are made in China. I work for 3M. We make lots of things in China and many other countries. I support buying American. I also support the global economy.
I just think you should be honest in your advertising.
If your juice is superior because it is made from US oranges, made in Florida… shouldn’t your other products follow the same quality strategy?
If you are promoting your commitment to sustainability, shouldn’t you also be concerned about the resources being used to ship fruit to China (a month by ocean), using Chinese production rules to manufacture your product, using Chinese labor to manufacture your product, and the resources being used to ship your product back from China (yet another month).
I guess Florida’s Natural just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
10 comments:
Visiting from SITS! :-)
I couldn't agree more with what you wrote in this post! While I prefer to support local businesses as much as possible I also see the need to support a global economy as well. However, the fact that something like those fruit snakcs is being made in China just really irks me. I am VERY weary of using products from China that go in to our bodies.
I agree too. Advertising sucks!
Increasingly, I'm just buying local, especially when it comes to produce. That means I ain't going to be eating many oranges this winter, but that's a sacrifice I'll have to make.
Personally, I don't feel any compunction whatsoever to support the global economy: Pfft!
I'd much rather be supporting my neighbors who are out of work.
Don't get me started on our economic relationship with China . . .
And this is exactly why I'd rather support local producers. These corporations have gotten so big, so dependant on non-natural fillers & processing agents, they wouldn't survive if they told the truth about how their products are made.
Wouldn't it be refreshing to hear a truthful ad?
"Our product is so full of crap that we can't even honestly tell you what's in it or what those ingredients will really do to you! But hey- it tastes good! So who cares who made it or how it's made? As long as it tastes good, you should buy it!!"
I might actually respect that a bit more...
I like Tropicana. I'm going to keep getting Tropicana. And Minute Maid. And now I'll avoid Florida's Natural. I'm sure the other companies aren't perfect either, but I get really frustrated by hypocrisy.
*nods in agreement while sipping on a Coke Zero.*
;)
A month by ocean?! How does the fruit stay fresh that long? I am getting increasingly fed up with companies who do this kind of thing. You put your trust in a certain brand name and then find out terrible things about them. It's really frustrating, as a consumer...especially as a MOM who does the bulk of the grocery shopping. I feel like I'm on the defensive when I go to the store.
I love Tropicana. I didn't know this about Florida's Natural fruit snacks. I guess it pays to read labels (and blogs, haha)
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