Clif Company Misleads Consumers

This unit has instilled a sense of distrust amongst myself as well as my peers. We have lost our culinary innocence if you will and no longer live in a Matrix world characterized by ignorant bliss. The American people have not been told what their food contains; this is in part our own fault, because we have not been asking. These blogs, readings, and documentaries have raised our awareness to exactly what we have been digesting for seventeen years, but awareness will not protect us from continuing to make similar mistakes. We must constantly ask the question: "What is in my food?"

I have enjoyed a variety of Clif Company products, as they have long been pushed in the climbing community. Our current scholarly unit has opened my eyes to the value of Clif products. Clif does not bow to the pressure of the American market. Very few snacks are organics as well as delicious, but I think Clif has achieved a relatively diverse line of pre-prepared munchies which satisfy both qualities. Therefore, I was surprised to find through my own food investigation that Clif Kids' "Twisted Fruit Rope" following the lead of companies like Betty Crocker and Yo Plait misleads consumers through false advertising. The snack claims a full serving of fruit and comes in both strawberry and grape. However, after looking at the ingredients lists for both, I realized that strawberries and grapes do not appear in either. "Apple juice concentrate" makes up for the serving of fruit. After another look, I realized the ingredients for both flavors are exactly the same! This snack may be organic by some standard, but clearly isn't formed from truly raw ingredients.

Cameron Cassan