News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:How did Tropicana lose $30M in a packaging redesign? by ineedasername on Monday May 16, 2022 @08:33AM (#31396182)
I would be suspicious of any orange juice where the company feels the need to stipulate "real orange juice". What the heck else would it be made of?

Reminds me of "ice cream" which, in a lot of cases, is not. Mixed in the ice cream section next to identical looking cartons of different flavors Breuer's is a big culprit) are things that say "whipped dairy dessert" in the place that others say "ice cream".

Re:How did Tropicana lose $30M in a packaging redesign? by tjr on Monday May 16, 2022 @08:51AM (#31396368)
There are surprisingly strict rules about ice cream terminology pertaining to ingredient ratios. Is it ice cream? Ice milk? Custard? Etc. An ice cream-like product that is not actually "ice cream" is not necessarily inferior.

With orange juice... not sure. There's long been the distinction between "from concentrate" and "not from concentrate", but both were still considered actual orange.

Re:How did Tropicana lose $30M in a packaging redesign? by credittw2021 on Monday May 16, 2022 @08:49AM (#31396345)
One common-ish case would be from concentrate, since ostensibly it is just the water removed and then re added. However, you're at that point substituting the natural water for whatever is at the bottling source.

This does lead me to an interesting question, that being whether one could make orange juice from frozen concentrate that is 'better' than store bought and reconstituted at a factory

Re:How did Tropicana lose $30M in a packaging redesign? by sebastien_bois on Monday May 16, 2022 @10:08AM (#31397441)
>I would be suspicious of any orange juice where the company feels the need to stipulate "real orange juice". What the heck else would it be made of?

You're right to be suspicious; most juices are not just "freshly squeezed" from a fruit - they're processed.

Part of the "process" is to actually extract the sweetest part of the juice and leave the rest behind (so way more sugary than "natural") and some will actually contain some other forms of filler (like non-orange based oils).

It's a lot like McNuggets or Subway chicken sandwiches - they're made "from real chicken" but with all of added the salt and fillers, you end up wondering exactly how much of it is actual chicken.

One of the best way to evaluate "real juice" is by how long it'll last before it expires (either shelf life or after opening) - more than a few days will indicate there's extra preservatives, etc. in it.

Re:How did Tropicana lose $30M in a packaging redesign? by micromacrofoot on Monday May 16, 2022 @09:24AM (#31396800)
Tang, Sunny D, and Kool-aid basically ruined the entire juice industry by popularizing adding artificial flavor and coloring to sugar water. IMO they shouldn't even be allowed to show images of fruit in their packaging/marketing, shouldn't be able to market to kids, and they should have a surgeon general's warning about obesity akin to cigarette packaging and cancer.

I've accidentally bought what I thought was fruit juice more than one time, and learned my lesson about reading the label. Many people might not ever bother.

Re:How did Tropicana lose $30M in a packaging redesign? by Cthulhu_ on Monday May 16, 2022 @09:11AM (#31396623)
At least some products can not legally be called something they're not, like "sandwich slices" or "singles" instead of "cheese".
Re:How did Tropicana lose $30M in a packaging redesign? by michaelt on Monday May 16, 2022 @09:10AM (#31396612)
> What the heck else would it be made of?

In my country, there are also concentrated 'orange squash' drinks which have some real fruit, and also some flavouring and sweeteners.

They taste different to pure orange juice, they're substantially cheaper and they have very low sugar/calorie content.

Re:How did Tropicana lose $30M in a packaging redesign? by wlonkly on Monday May 16, 2022 @07:51PM (#31404425)
Sounds like the Americans' "Sunny Delight", a childhood staple but also kind of.. not quite juice.
Re:How did Tropicana lose $30M in a packaging redesign? by mikkergp on Monday May 16, 2022 @09:07AM (#31396569)
I imagine this was in response to a mid to late 20th century processed foods culture where things like tang and sunny d were widespread. Lots of “Orange Drink” I remember in the wire Frank sobotka talked about all the Tang he drank because it’s “what the astronauts drank”.
Re:How did Tropicana lose $30M in a packaging redesign? by ineedasername on Monday May 16, 2022 @10:12AM (#31397502)
Ah, yes. I remember my mom brought home Tang one time from the supermarket. We love our mom, but to use the phrase parents use with their kids, we told her "we are very disappointed in you. We expect you to make better choices".
Re:How did Tropicana lose $30M in a packaging redesign? by xattt on Monday May 16, 2022 @08:50AM (#31396361)
I wonder if the same health equivalency applies to jam and it’s analogues. There’s double-fruit jam that doesn’t identify as jam, but as a fruit spread.

It seems like a healthier choice, due to higher bulk of fruit purée versus standard jam on toast (which I assume has more sugar).