Acai Fruit Drink Misinformation

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Created on 01, December, 2007

An “energy” supplement drink containing acai and other fruit purees claims “high levels of omega fatty-acids, iron” and protein.

The Supplement/Nutrition Facts panel for this product shows 5 mg omega 3 fatty-acids, 4% of the Daily Value (DV) for iron, and no protein. Clearly, this product is not high in iron or protein (both would need to provide at least 10% of the DV), and to imply that 5 mg omega 3 is high is misleading (not to mention illegal), because it is actually very low. If the supplement had 500 mg, then it might be more impressive, although it still couldn’t be described as a “good source” or “high in” omega 3 fatty-acids, since no Daily Value has been established to set the 100% (basically a recommended daily) level. Note also that claims that a fruit is high in antioxidants often only apply to the fresh fruit, not the processed juice or puree that is being sold/advertised (processing and even transportation time greatly reduce antioxidant content). This is a common form of false advertising. If the nutrition label doesn't show a vitamin A or C value of at least 10% DV (in the case of a fruit product), then the product is NOT legally a "good source" of antioxidants (for "high" it would need to be at least 20% of DV).