POM Juice a fraud? You had us fooled.
The headline shocked more than a few people I’m sure. False scientific data? On a juice? It all made sense now.
No wonder the damn stuff cost so much more than the others juices. Pomegranate was a fraud. Shame on you corporate America, shame on you.
Even more disturbing is the one ad that keeps getting referenced when mention of their new ad campaign. It’s even first up on their cute little slide show on their web page. As if they are proud of it. Call me crazy, but am I the only one who thinks it creates the wrong message entirely? Seriously, they didn’t go there did they?! And then claim the ad isn’t misleading. Forget about the message that POM juice prevents death (their intention I’m assuming..). Symbolically speaking, how many types of fruit prevent being hung? It isn’t exactly a leading cause of deaths. Why a noose? A pomegranate smoking a cigarette would have been far more effective. They wanted to cause a stir, since pomegranate juice was a trend long passed. But to me, controversy was just what they needed. And they sure nailed that one on the head. But, did they take it too far?
I had to investigate for myself – was pomegranate juice a so called phony? Did it’s owners finally give Americans a glimpse into the the dark underground of corporately funded scientific research? Say it isn’t so.
“The most abundant polyphenols in pomegranate juice are the hydrolyzable tannins called ellagitannins (the so called
“super” of the superfruit) . Pomegranate ellagitannins, also called punicalagins, are tannins with free-radical scavenging properties in laboratory experiments and with potential human effects. Punicalagins are absorbed into the human body and may have dietary value asantioxidants, but conclusive proof of efficacy in humans has not yet been shown. However, ingested ellagic acid from pomegranate juice does not accumulate in the blood in significant quantities and is rapidly excreted. Accordingly, ellagic acid from pomegranate juice does not appear to be biologically important“
“super” of the superfruit) . Pomegranate ellagitannins, also called punicalagins, are tannins with free-radical scavenging properties in laboratory experiments and with potential human effects. Punicalagins are absorbed into the human body and may have dietary value asantioxidants, but conclusive proof of efficacy in humans has not yet been shown. However, ingested ellagic acid from pomegranate juice does not accumulate in the blood in significant quantities and is rapidly excreted. Accordingly, ellagic acid from pomegranate juice does not appear to be biologically important“
Oh really? So the company was lying? Not technically. But they sure were stretching the truth.
“Despite limited research data, manufacturers and marketers of pomegranate juice have liberally used evolving research results for product promotion, especially for putative antioxidant health benefits. In February 2010, the FDA issued a Warning Letter to one such manufacturer, POM Wonderful, for using published literature to make illegal claims of unproven antioxidant and anti->disease benefits.”
And they were given a warning? So what makes their scientific research invalid?
“Dr. Meir Stampfer – a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and the most cited researcher in clinical medicine and epidemiology in the world in the last 20 years – testified that the materials relied upon by POM did not provide competent and reliable scientific evidence to support claims that a daily serving of POM treats, prevents or reduces the risk of heart diseases, prostate cancer or blood pressure.”
I remember one of my professors in college asking my class how Cherrios lowers cholesterol. The brand doesn’t, but eating whole grains might. But that doesn’t stop the company from using this in their advertising.This is somewhat of the same sort of issue. Sure, it may contribute to lower occurrence of certain health issues, but there is no evidence showing that it prevents death or cancer. But, like I began with many companies promote products by showing possible “health benefits”. A certain type of product won’t prevent or cure any disease. But the ingredients it contains may prove beneficial to our health. Enough said. This reporter sums the whole thing up perfectly:
““What is striking in this case is the company’s arrogance, taking out ads attacking the FTC and citing bits of the judge’s decision.”
“Why is it so common? The cynical answer is you can make money selling a product making a vague and hard-to-substantiate claim about the ingredients. The other answer is that if you’re an entrepreneur, having faith in your product is a precondition for being successful. That same zeal, that same belief in your product can get you into trouble.””
Smart thinking POM, you’re headline news. Now how’s that for publicity?
Oh yeah, don’t forget to print out your dollar off coupon.
:)
