Ignorantly satisfied with the sweet nectar draining down my gullet I had no idea that I had been sucked in to a rather nefarious marketing ploy.
The front of the label states quite plainly that this drink is "Made with REAL Fruit Juice". Perhaps the capitalization of "Fruit Juice" should have been my first clue, as it sounds like something Microsoft would trademark (Money, Office, Window, etc.). Next were the juxtiposed supposed contents, or rather flavor, of the liquid: "Peach Papaya". Below is an enticing image of sliced peaches and papayas dancing in splashes of the liquid which is probably intended to be the drink in question. All of these indications seem to suggest that this drink is a wholesome mixture peach and papaya juices, probably watered down and sugared up to meet the demented tastes of American children.
As one shifts the bottle around towards the ingredients list, one notices the markings indicating a five percent juice content. This is the first disappointment, but not particularly unexpected. Given that the juice is probably from concentrate and then watered down, 5% seems reasonable, if slightly disappointing. But then you get to the ingredients list: Water (okay, water is a good start, most drinks are mostly water), High Fructose Corn Syrup (right, "sugar", or something close to it. I don't like HFCS very much for various reasons, but maybe I'll post about that later), Filtered Pear Juice From Concentrate (what??!? What's PEAR doing in my PEACH PAPAYA drink? well maybe it's just a filler) .... and then into the various preservatives, colorings, and a reference to "Natural Flavors".
So what's the deal? Are these "Natural Flavors" they write of hiding my peach and papaya juices?
If that wasn't bad enough, this drink has twice the amount of sugar, at 28 grams, as at least one candy bar I am looking at (14 grams). Or so you would think. Then you notice that it's 28 grams per serving, and the bottle contains "2.5 servings". Maybe it's time to switch back to good ol' diet coke... or maybe Jolt.
eek!