Acai, MonaVie, and More On The Whole “SuperFruit” Thing…
At the moment, the Acai berry is probably the most hyped “superfruit” on the market. Over the last few years, several others have had their turn – Goji, Noni, Mangosteen – and there’s no doubt we’ll see plenty more of the next couple of years.
The majority of claims regarding these fruits are outlandish and have little or no evidence to support them. They are, in large part, being hawked via various MLM and pyramid schemes – where every product user is also a promoter, and stands to benefit financially from any sales s/he makes. Hardly a business model conducive to criticism of any sort, right?
It’s this financial conflict of interest that is one the main reasons why I’m immediately suspicious of any product marketed in this manner.
With that in mind, I just came across a great article by Brian Dunning over at Skeptoid .com. Here’s what he has to say…
“Superfruit juices are a business model first; a salable product second; and a well-evidenced health product a distant third.”
Amen to that, Brian.
Share
Elissa on 01 Jan 2009 at 7:24 pm #
“Superfruit juices are a business model first; a salable product second; and a well-evidenced health product a distant third.”
Really, this is something that’s true for ANY “healthy” food product. Since I’ve grown up in the food industry (for lack of a better term), it’s a banal observation…but it’s still one that needs to be made. Many people tend to put companies that make things like Oreos, Velveeta and Pringles into the “bad guy” category, and those who make natural/organic products in the “good guy” category. But all too often, you’re talking about the exact same companies. General Mills makes both all-natural, fruit and nut LARABARs as well as “Frankenberry” and “Trix,” for example. But there’s no incongruity, when you look at it from the perspective of the suits.
Simply put, “Healthy” is just another market niche.
Mind you, some companies strive to do good AND do well – more power to them – but the desire to do good alone is a recipe for business failure.