Jaw-Dropping Grape Dishonesty
I was recently introduced to cotton candy-flavored grapes. Generally, I prefer my grapes to taste like grapes, not a flavor that reminds me why I dislike trudging through a carnival midway. Yet, I can understand how grape marketers see the appeal of their fruit with the tantalizing taste of cotton candy. One would assume toddlers would be more apt to eat grapes if they taste like candy.
Apparently, cotton candy-flavored grapes have been on the market for about four years. They’re sold by Grapery, a California-based company owned by Jack Pandol and Jim Beagle. According to Grapery’s website, “Jack Pandol envisioned a table grape so incredibly plump, juicy and delicious that he became laser-focused on one thing. Flavor.”
David Cain, a horticulturist in charge of fruit breeding at International Fruit Genetics in Bakersfield, Calif., told NPR that he and his colleagues hybridized two grape species to get the cotton candy tasting grapes. The process of hybridizing grapes is laborious. To create a new grape hybrid, Cain told NPR, “The whole process takes at least six years and sometimes up to 15 years.”
Marketing of the grapes, of course, didn’t take near that long. In fact, Grapery let their marketing team resort to a tried and true - although deceptive – campaign to sell their candy-flavored fruit. They labeled them, “Sustainably raised, Non-GMO.” Never mind the fact no GMO grapes exist.
Unfortunately, Grapery and many companies like them, do everyone involved in food production a disservice when they tout their product as “Non-GMO,” especially when no GMOs exist in a particular food category. Consumers are already confused by food labels, and the vast majority would be hard-pressed to describe GMOs. They just know when a product is labeled non-GMO that must be good, and therefore, GMOs must be bad.
The conundrum for food producers is that the science that gave us GMOs has yet to find any evidence or danger from consuming food containing GMOs. So why, Grapery, must you label these tasty grapes “Non-GMO?” Doesn’t your marketing team have enough of an advantage over your competitors? For heaven’s sake, they taste like COTTON CANDY!
Grapery, I know you have some talented marketing folks on staff because they wrote this on your web site: “Cotton Candy® grapes taste exactly like the pink spun-sugar treat you loved as a kid at the circus—and we mean exactly. Pop some in your mouth, close your eyes, and you're that kid again! And here's a bonus: these grapes aren't sticky and loaded with granulated sugar like the fluffy stuff you munched on back in the day. But they're just as sweet—and much juicier. This is fresh fruit you can snack on all you want. Everyone who's tried these one-of-a-kind grapes has had a jaw-dropping, totally amazed, reaction.”
Yes, my jaw dropped and I was totally amazed. Not by the taste, though I find that kinda cool. My befuddlement stems from the fact you have a great product, yet your labeling and marketing tactics are dishonest.
