Snapple's Acai Drink Just Pear Juice And Corn Syrup

Of all the ridiculous Acai schemes we’ve seen involving overpriced miracle elixirs, Snapple wins hands down—their Acai Blackberry drink is high fructose corn syrup, pear juice, and “natural flavors,” which Consumerist reader LS points out could be “a spoonful of blackberry jam from Aunt Sally’s root cellar and a puff of acai-laced breath from the health food girl in accounting.” Or more likely, just some flavoring extracts from a company similar to this one.

(from the bottle) “Filtered water, High fructose corn syrup, pear juice from concentrate, citric acid, natural flavors, vegetable extract (for color), acacia gum.”

We know, Snapple isn’t doing anything illegal—we’re sure they confess everything somewhere on the label. The funny thing, though, is that nobody is touting Acai as a flavor to be sought out. It’s all about the supposed health benefits, so the only reason to slap it onto a label is to attract health-conscious or Oprah-watching consumers. And can you imagine a less healthy drink than something that lists HFCS as the main ingredient after water? (Well, yes we’re sure you can, but you get the point.)

Update: According to some of our commenters, Acai is a delicious flavor.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.