These food and drink fails are hard to stomach. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the biggest healthy food and drinks scandals that showed products weren’t as good for us as they claimed.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the biggest healthy food
00:07and drink scandals that showed products weren't as good for us as they claimed.
00:1310.
00:14Special K
00:15If you want an adult, healthy breakfast to get your day rolling, a lot of folks turn
00:18to Kellogg's Special K cereal.
00:25Made from a variety of grains, the flakes taste pretty bland, so they must be good for
00:29us, right?
00:30Well, maybe not as healthy as Kellogg's wants us to believe.
00:33In 2016, Special K commercials were banned in the UK for their claims.
00:41They stated their flakes were nutritious and full of goodness.
00:44According to the country's Advertising Standards Authority, the cereal wasn't backing the
00:48words up with specific enough evidence.
00:50As such, due to breaching advertising codes, the ads had to be changed.
00:579.
00:58Poppy
00:59To separate itself from other drinks on the market by being a prebiotic soda, Poppy went
01:03all in on its apparent benefits to health.
01:08The idea was that the ingredients promote a healthier gut microbiome, so it's no surprise
01:13Poppy went with the slogan, Be Gut Happy, Be Gut Healthy.
01:16However, in 2024, Kristen Cobbs disagreed and issued a lawsuit.
01:21Cobbs found the beverage has only 2 grams of prebiotic agave inulin fiber.
01:26Research indicates upwards of 5 grams per day is needed for better gut health.
01:30The average woman in the United States should be having at least 25 grams of fiber per day.
01:38And so, you know, 2 grams is not going to cut it.
01:40The suit also pointed out that consuming more cans will cause the sugar intake to outweigh
01:45any potential GI perks.
01:46The lawsuit states if consumers drink more Poppy, any prebiotic benefit would be outweighed
01:51by the sugar consumption.
01:53Even though this has less sugar in it than traditional soda, if you have four of them,
01:58the sugar adds up.
01:59Number 8.
02:00Fruit Roll-Ups
02:01When we were children, we were always jealous of the kids who had fruit roll-ups with lunch.
02:05Apparently, not having the snack had its benefits though.
02:08The manufacturers are really hopping onto that organic or all natural or naturally flavored
02:13bandwagon because us as consumers, especially when it comes to products for our kids, we
02:18like to know that there aren't a lot of chemicals or aren't a lot of additives in there that
02:23can go ahead and affect, potentially negatively impact our kids.
02:27In 2011, the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C. issued a lawsuit
02:32against the brand.
02:33The packaging contained images of fruit and the roll-ups were marketed as nutritious and
02:37healthy.
02:38Yet, the CSPI pointed out that the strawberry flavor wasn't made with real, well, strawberries.
02:46One thing you could find among the various ingredients, pears from concentrate.
02:50The brand's manufacturer, General Mills, opted for a settlement and agreed to make
02:54changes on their packaging from 2014 onwards.
02:57That claim, that all natural claim, made people pick this product.
03:01So if it's not all natural, they 100% were duped by the company's marketing.
03:06Number 7.
03:07Rice Krispies
03:08We've all spent minutes listening to the iconic snap, crackle, and pop as the milk hits the
03:12bowl of Rice Krispies, hoping it hasn't gotten too soggy.
03:17But beyond the sound, Kellogg's claimed the cereal could do a lot more, they just
03:21couldn't back it up.
03:22In 2009, when swine flu was dominating the news, Rice Krispies' boxes stated,
03:27Now help support your child's immunity.
03:30The antioxidants and nutrients were also boasted.
03:37After settling with the Federal Trade Commission in 2011, Kellogg's paid $2.5 million to consumers
03:43and donated $2.5 million worth of product to charity.
03:46Around the same time, the cereal brand had to drop the claim that their frosted mini-wheats
03:50could help kids focus.
03:55Number 6.
03:56Palm Wonderful
03:57Pomegranate juice is known to have some health benefits, but rather than promote the one
04:01science knows about, Palm Wonderful decided their version needed to be a lot more dramatic.
04:06How many health claims involving food products are actually backed up with scientific data?
04:10That's a question you have to ask yourself as the makers of yet another supposedly healthy
04:15In 2010, the FTC ordered the brand to stop claiming it could prevent or treat several
04:22illnesses, including heart disease, prostate cancer, enterectile dysfunction, and even
04:27cheat death.
04:29The FTC says that research must squarely support the claims made.
04:33The available scientific information does not prove that the product's claims are true.
04:38Brand co-founder Stuart Resnick has seemingly attributed his successful cancer battle, at
04:42least partly, to the fruit and drink.
04:44However, the company's appeal against the ruling was thrown out, with the U.S. Supreme
04:48Court even refusing to entertain it.
04:50As a result, Palm Wonderful was ordered to no longer make such statements in their commercials.
04:57Number 5.
04:58Lunchly
04:59In 2024, influencers KSI, Logan Paul, and Mr. Beast teamed up to release a competitor
05:05to Lunchables with Lunchly.
05:09Theirs, as it says on their box, is mozzarella pasteurized prepared cheese product.
05:13They can't even call it real cheese.
05:15The trio immediately promoted their product as being healthier than their rivals, pointing
05:19at low sugar content, fewer calories, and natural ingredients.
05:22However, nutritionists were alarmed by the high sodium content and generally disregarded
05:27claims the item is good for people.
05:29But the biggest fall from grace for Lunchly was when people saw an unexpected guest, mold.
05:35It's so much mold.
05:36This is terrible.
05:37Oh my gosh.
05:38Santa Pansino created a video that highlighted this issue, as bacteria had infested the cheese
05:42in the pack.
05:43It's been speculated that the glue is inadequate or that preservatives weren't included.
05:47Either way, not very healthy.
05:56Number 4.
05:57Naked Juice
05:58With a saucy name like Naked Juice, you'd expect nothing but the goodness of fruits.
06:07The bottle leaned into this perception by stating it was 100% fruit juice and completely
06:12natural, nothing artificial and non-GMO.
06:14However, in 2012, a lawsuit was issued that contested these claims.
06:19It stated Naked Juice contained several synthetic vitamins and criticized various other claims.
06:29In 2013, PepsiCo, who owned the brand at the time, settled the case for $9 million.
06:34If a customer had bought Naked Juice between 2007 and 2013, they could claim up to $75.
06:39To make it more shameful, the product was no longer allowed to claim it was, well, all-natural.
06:46Number 3.
06:47Sunny D
06:48It's been around since 1963 in the U.S.
06:59But in the 1990s, Sunny Delight, as it was known then, began a hugely successful campaign
07:04in the U.K.
07:05After spending millions, they achieved the mighty task of being the region's third best-selling
07:09soft drink.
07:14It was marketed as a healthy orange juice, so many parents were probably happier to fold
07:17to their kids' demands for Sunny D than its fizzy competitors.
07:22However, authorities began criticizing the drink for only containing 5% fruit juice,
07:30severely damaging its healthy image.
07:32This disaster was made worse when it emerged in 1999 that a child's skin became orange
07:37after consuming large amounts of it due to the beta-carotene colorant.
07:42Number 2.
07:43Vitamin Water
07:44With a name like Vitamin Water and a label resembling a medical prescription, the Coca-Cola
07:48company really wanted us to believe this beverage was healthy.
07:54After being warned about its marketing methods, the CSPI filed a lawsuit against Vitamin Water
07:59in 2009.
08:01It took aim at the product's various claims, including that it reduces the risk of chronic
08:05and eye diseases, and called out the dishonesty, considering it contains roughly 33 grams of
08:11sugar per bottle.
08:16In 2015, Coca-Cola settled by agreeing to change its marketing over the next two years,
08:21on top of paying $2.73 million in expenses.
08:25Also in 2011, the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority banned Vitamin Water from calling
08:30itself nutritious in commercials due to all the sugar it contains.
08:55Number 1.
08:56Subway Bread
08:57For years, Subway positioned itself as a healthy fast-food company.
09:00At Subway restaurants, you choose your freshly baked bread, meats, cheese, and veggies to
09:06make a sub that's just right for you.
09:08With its Eat Fresh slogan and later disgraced spokesperson Jared Fogle, who famously lost
09:12weight partly attributed to his Subway diet, it seemed too good to be true.
09:16Well, it was.
09:17Many of us remember the Yoga Mat ingredient fiasco, but that's not the only time there's
09:21been trouble.
09:22In 2020, the Supreme Court of Ireland declared that the bread used by the chain isn't really
09:27bread.
09:36The reason?
09:37You've probably guessed.
09:38But a lot of sugar.
09:3910% of the weight of the flour being sugar, in fact.
09:42Because of this, Ireland deemed it cake, which isn't known for being too healthy.
09:47Section 851A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 formalizes taxpayer confidentiality.
09:55We cannot comment.
09:57Which is a pretty crummy response, isn't it?
10:01If you want to make a healthy comfort meal, what's your go-to dish?
10:04A protein-rich salad?
10:05A hearty vegetable stew?
10:07Fish fajitas?
10:08Or something else?
10:09Let us know below.
10:10If you start eating a healthy diet now, you're setting up a good habit that you can follow
10:14throughout your life.