When we go to the supermarket, there are thousands of options to choose from when buying groceries. With so many products on the shelves, companies often look for creative ways to differentiate themselves from competitors. In the past few years americans have started caring more about what they eat. In response to this companies constantly feature new “healthy” alternative products to attract consumers. PepsiCo, who owns frito-lay recently had recently put out a new line of products branded “simply natural”. They add labels like this to their cheetos and other snacks to attract consumers by leading them to believe they are eating healthy. The problem is there is no clear laws about what constitutes a “natural” product. These matters are handled by the FDA, which has stated that a natural product doesn’t contain “added color, artificial flavors or synthetic substances”. When food products have the “natural” label and don’t meet the qualifications of a natural product, the companies producing them are hit with lawsuits from consumers.
While i find it hard to believe that anyone buying cheetos believes they are eating something that is “natural”, i’m glad to see companies being penalized for their misleading marketing. Many of the products we consume contain chemicals, preservatives and a bunch of synthetic additives. A lot of us have no idea that many of the products we perceive as “healthy” are really just well marketed junk food. Hopefully in the future, food manufactures will bring out new products that actually are healthy and natural; that way they at least won’t have to lie to us.