PA is on board with me here, albeit for different reasons

[clevermanka]

Yeah, it's real.

"Tropicana Products, Inc., a division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP), announced it is testing a new portable kids snack called Tropicana Tropolis™ – a smooth blend of real squeezable fruit, packed with nutrition, designed for kids. America’s iconic juice brand for more than 50 years, Tropicana created this innovative new food line to help moms squeeze the goodness of fruit into kids’ daily diets by making fruit fun."

Because, what? Picking up a god damn apple is too much trouble? Jesus H.

Does anyone else remember those Incredible Edible Egg adverstisements? I used to think they were so weird and unnecessary. Now I understand. Most people won't eat food unless you market it to them and allow them to eat it in a plastic container that can then be thrown into a landfill.

The makers of Wall-E had it so right.

Humanity is doomed.

Comments

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Made by a soda co. eh? How much HFCS is in it, I wonder?
Ick.
ETA: Oh, so they say... none. But I have my doubts as to what else could be in the mix. It's like astronaut food, those squeezy pouches.

Oh well, I guess I have a new word for a carrot smoothie, slurrified carrot and yogurt?
Somehow it makes it a bit LESS appealing.

[verminiusrex.livejournal.com]

Sometimes a product like this can serve a purpose. Portable, easily dispensed, individual servings. If it has a long shelf life and doesn't require refrigeration, then it's emergency food rations. Marketed as a daily use food item, it's a sign of the downfall of culinary civilization as we know it.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

It's not necessarily the content of the item (although this is way too high in sugar), it's the marketing.

God.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

See my response to Roya, above. This isn't being marketed as emergency food rations. And it's all sugar. I don't care if it's no HFCS or no added sugar, it's all fruit. In other words, sugar! Sheesh.

[jimmy-hollaman.livejournal.com]

your just figuring this out? We are the people that must be told to not use a hair dryer in shower. That the hot coffee in our cup is going to be hot. We need to be told that we need to eat better, and if that means drinking some thing out of a plastic bottle... well thats great.

then there is the problem that we are warned about every thing. Don't eat this, because this will be covered in pesticides. Don't eat this because of all the salt, don't eat this because of the way its grown. This will cause you bad health if you eat/drink it. Thats where the marketing people come in. Hey this is good for you, eat/drink it.

[poincaraux.livejournal.com]

"To who?"

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

This makes me so sad....

Since when has fruit not been fun?!?!?!?

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

AGREED. "marketing to mom's"
(Heh, that leaves us out of their demographic, dunnit?)
My theory is that it makes it easier for them to have a product that can be dispensed from a machine since most schools have removed the soda machines. Pepsico et all are losing their asses over the junk food machine/schools controversy.

I guess the next sell for it will be that you don't have to worry about washing pesticides off it, but that won't make any difference to the pesticides IN it anyway.

[funky-peacenik.livejournal.com]

I think they have issues with chewing... it takes to much work.

I also agree that the makers of Wall-E are right on target.

Part of me started thinking about how this was ok then kids who don't have fruit could then have it. Then sanity was restored in my brain and I remembered that if kids don't have fruit, then bring them fruit plant some damn trees in their hood. Don't bring them mush in a tube for them to squeeze out.

Corporate food people are douches.

Fruit ALREADY comes in attractive packaging! It's called skin.

[the-themiscyran.livejournal.com]

I HATE the whole "cooking/food prep is hard and takes too long" marketing genre. It's all "Here, we've mushed up your fruit and sliced cheese into cracker-sized portions and chopped up stir-fry that you can keep in your freezer because God-forbid that you actually need to ever learn how to use a knife."..ugh.

Re: Fruit ALREADY comes in attractive packaging! It's called skin.

[the-themiscyran.livejournal.com]

Or, y'know, peel, or whatever...just not plastic.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_luaineach/]

I just bought an equivalent product (http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/things_we_make/) for Jet awhile ago, as I had stumbled upon them so got them as "treat". They are way too much fructose, in my view, but otherwise I have zero problem with the idea of them if you are going to have a fruit as a snack anyway (i.e., this isn't in place of some other sort of snack). They are extremely practical, something fresh fruit is not so much and so from that standpoint the marketing is dead on.

Edited: I should add, I also dehydrate fruit and make fruit leather for the same reason.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_luaineach/]

This isn't being marketed as emergency food rations.

Er, that's because you're not a mom. :) ALL fruit snacks are emergency ration food -- little ones need a pretty steady intake in order to keep blood sugar stable and you're not shoving a pineapple in your kid's pocket for him to have at 3:30 between end of class and chess.

[stuology.livejournal.com]

Being the only person who feeds my children--I guess, according to their press release--I can have sympathy for working mothers. You know, the ones whose day is busy with non-kid tasks from 5:30am - 5:30pm.

However, I do not see how this betters just buying fruit in either price, convenience or availability. I can buy fruit at the grocery store. It is always there. At my house right now the kids have the option of eating apples, oranges, bananas or grapes.

Here is what I would predict would happen with these. They may be small serving sizes, but I bet they are they bigger than 1 serving of fruit--I could be wrong, but I'll wager it. Also, this stuff is likely so concentrated that while it may not have added sugar, it is going to taste sweeter and have more sugar than your average serving of fruit from the fruit bowl and hence, the kids will keep begging for more and more and more and more. And I bet most parents to get some peace and quiet, will give them more and more and more of this "healthy" snack.

My kids have fruit available and they don't stuff themselves silly on fruit because they aren't getting as high of a concentration of sugar that produces the sugar crash that makes their body want more. And hence, it is why I don't feel like it will be cheaper. My kids will eat less fruit, and hence I won't buy it as often as I would if I replaced fruit with this odd fruit-based digestible material.

BECAUSE KIDS NEED MORE SNACKS, THANK CEILING CAT!!

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

The makers of Wall-E had it so right. AGREE.

Also, I was the only person laughing in a suspiciously silent theatre during those first scenes.

It's important to note that the pre-packed snack will be far easier to eat while playing video games or playing on the computer than actually stopping to eat. Nevermind the trash created by the packaging.

Tropicana saves America or Mother Nature needs flashier packaging

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

Omg, but how will kiddies let everyone know that their parents have MONEY or show off BRAND NAMES -- one of the most important things in life?!?!

We also need to weaken people's systems with a diverse range of chemicals or how will we keep the vital profit-based health care industry working? *currently under siege as we speak!


/ends Bizarro World blurting out :P

[cmt2779.livejournal.com]

Not only do I still remember the Incredible Edible Egg ads, but I still find myself singing the little jingle from time to time for no reason.

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

me too!

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

It's all about putting something into a vending machine, now that they've been taken out of the schools for sodas.
Pepsico gotta make money, and they can't do that if vendors stick an apple into the box.

Re: Fruit ALREADY comes in attractive packaging! It's called skin.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

AND you can buy it in a vending machine instead of packing it from home.

Although I had to chuckle a minute as the thought crossed my mind that there are some people that I hope are kept far away from the large sharp objects:

"Some of us so sharp, we could just CUT ourselves"
.. Mr. Croup to Mr Vandeveer from Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere