Learning to decode 'real fruit' claims changed my shopping

I always grabbed snacks labeled 'made with real fruit' thinking they were healthy. Then I saw the ingredient list shows fruit juice concentrate near the end. Now I look for whole fruits listed first.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jade29d ago

I once bought "fruit leather" thinking it was basically a flattened smoothie. The first ingredient was tapioca syrup. My fruit snack was mostly a glue stick with a marketing degree. Now I squint at those lists like I'm solving a tiny crossword puzzle.

simon_coleman22d ago

Remember when "made with real fruit" meant something? Now it just means they waved an apple near the factory door. I've seen "yogurt covered" raisins where the coating is just oil and sugar, and "veggie chips" that are mostly potato starch and food coloring. It's like they're betting we won't turn the package over.

beth_bell29d ago

Fruit concentrate can still have vitamins, @the_jade, so it's not all marketing glue.