Tropicana 100% Juice

[melmak5]

I have a cold, I feel like utter crap. I was running late to work, popped in a convenience store to get some OJ and grabbed one that said 100% juice, ran out to catch the bus.

Got to work, noticed the ingredient label reads: 100% pure orange juice from concentrate (filtered water and concentrated orange juice) and natural flavors*.

*Ingredient not found in regular orange juice.

So I call up the 800-number to see what is going on. (cs = Customer Service rep)

me: Hi, I am calling to ask about one of your ingredients listed in one of your products

CS: Ok, go ahead.

me: the label on your juice product says its 100% juice but lists "natural flavors, ingredient not found in regular orange juice." Could you please let me know what, besides juice, is in your product?

CS: Its natural flavors, natural flavors come from anything in nature

me: Can you please tell me what the specific "natural flavors" are that are added to your orange juice?

CS: Natural flavors can be anything from nature.

me: OK, but if it says "100% juice" doesn't that have to mean that the natural flavors are from another source of juice?

CS: No, its from anything in nature, it could be from dairy.

me: Dairy? But can't it NOT be from dairy, because it says 100% juice?!

CS: Well, its not from dairy, because dairy is a top 8 allergen and we would have to list that on the label, but I am saying it COULD be from dairy.

me: Can you please divulge what that said ingredient is?

CS: The product you have is from concentrate, any drink from concentrate has natural flavors.

me: I understand this, but what I am asking is WHAT are the natural flavors added to this specific beverage?

*** See more back and forth, but ultimately getting her to understand why I was asking the question (re-food sensitivities)

me: Well I would urge your company to list all ingredients and not hide behind all encompassing terms such as "natural flavors" so that your consumers can know exactly what is in your products. I picked up your bottle of juice thinking it was safe because it listed "100% juice" on its label and now you are giving me *possible* contradictory information.

CS: Let me send you out a coupon for our Pure Premium line of juices that are not from concentrate and 100% juice.

[CeliacMom2008]

I ran into a similar type of call to Coca Cola regarding their Minute Maid Lemonade. The woman told me all of their drinks were gluten free down to 200 PPM. I asked if the natural flavors in the lemonade were from a gluten source and was told no, but they couldn't guarantee past 200 PPM. It was a call like yours and it ticked me off so much that we now boycott our favorite movie theater because they only serve Coke products and they made me mad! My gut tells me their products are gluten free, but the call and the 200 PPM really irritated me. I wanted to ask if she could guarantee that their products were urine free or if that was only down to 200 PPM too! (sometimes I get a little irrational )

By the way, the manufacturer of Simply Orange (and Simply Apple and Simple Lemonade) are great people to call.

"Is your Simply Orange gluten free?"

"Absolutely!"

And I love their orange and apple juices. I typically don't like juice unless I'm sick, but I love their apple and orange (I really don't like any lemonade - even theirs, but my son likes it).