Lies of the Juice Percentage: When 100% Mean Less Than 100%

Since when did 100% mean less than 100% of something? When I go into a store and get ready to purchase a bottle of juice I have to read the label in depth. Not for the nutrition information but to double check the label that states that it is 100% juice. I just wonder when the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) start slacking on their laws? What would happen if the organization in charge of gas pump gallon counters (Administration of Weights and Measure) started slacking?

I do fully understand that as a company it is very hard to get 100% juice. For starters there is the shelf life issue and then the flavor. Then closely following that is the mothers asking for nutrition. One company stands out and that is the Dole company brand of juices usually found in convenience stores, the bottle simply states "100% juice" and shortly below that "flavored juice blend". Yet when I flip the bottle around the first ingredient, which is also the highest percentage, is filtered water. Since when did filtered water become a juice? I don't see bottled water labeled as 100% juice. If your wondering, the filtered water is not part of the juice.

I realize that currently the FDA is really busy with its new leaded products problem. I also realize that there may be a swarm of business coming their way with the new push to get cigarettes monitored by the FDA. I am just asking that for a half day someone in the FDA would sit down and revise the rules on labeling something 100%. Of course I can always just read the bottle and make my decision, but this is more an issue for those "parents" that grab "juice" off the shelves and never read the contents. It is no wonder why this nation on a whole is over weight, we are starting our children off on the wrong foot.

Another favorite for juice bottles is when the 100% ingredients list more than one form of preservative. These juice drinks are not Twinkies, how much preservative is needed any how? Another possible solution is that companies can get their head out of their posterior, and not keep juices on the shelf so long. Instead of company owners lining their pockets with more money and then giving to charities to keep a good name, maybe they should just thin out their personal pocket linings by a slim 2% each and upgrade the quality of their products. The next time your reaching for some juice buyer beware, there may be more than meets the eye.