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.
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