Sad that there's a rotten apple in the bushel

While visiting my folks today, my Mom, no flaming radical, asked me if I'd like some "apple cider". I agreed that I might like a little and she, with disdain, brought me the plastic jug, Western Family brand apple cider. We live in the Pacific NW where apples and pears and pomes of all sorts are ripening on every nearby tree and where we expect our fruit to be exceptional. My mom pointed out that this particular jug o' juice had a big sticker on the label saying "bottled in the USA". Then she pointed to a small script tattoo on the plastic jug itself saying that it contained "concentrate from China". From China! I was dumbfounded. Here we are in apple heaven and our local distributor- Western Family of Portland- was selling Chinese apple concentrate! And worse yet, was disingenuously labeling it as from the USA. Unless you read closely on the label AND looked at the container, you'd never know that it was Chinese. Sleazy. I went to the Western Family website tonight and it looks as if they believe in consumer opinions. Well, this consumer and his parents thinks that putting Chinese apple concentrate in jugs sold in Oregon and only putting the 'chinese' notification on the plastic bottle and not on the label is pretty low. Who looks on a plastic jug for consumer information when it's standard to put it on the product label? Unless you don't want consumers to know. I didn't finish my glass of "cider". I don't know what's in Chinese concentrate. And I urge readers to know that their "consumer information" may not be where they expect it. Sleazy.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Yeah. Alex just started working at Made in Oregon and the first day she came home and told me that a lot of the stuff there is actually made in China. I mean come on! The store is CALLED Made in OREGON. That's ridiculous and I think someone should sue them for false advertising.

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