No Fruit in Fruit Snacks?

 Fruit snacks often do not contain any fruit at all, they merely deliver sugar from fruits. In other words, they are just the same as candy. This is the rationale behind the Center For Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)’s lawsuit filed against General Mills. So, why are these products filling up shelves at grocery stores? Most people do not read the list of ingredients or nutritional information on packaged products. If it says “FRUIT” in bold letters on the front, this is often accepted at face value. Kids love these snacks, they are easy to pack in lunch boxes and take on the daily round of activities. A child who will turn up their nose at slightly tired looking apple slices will happily eat up a fruit snack. But the truth of the matter is that these are not fruit, but sugar. The underlying issue, though, is one of time. We live our lives at a blistering pace where time for cutting up fresh fruit or reading labels closely just does not exist. It would be better for us all, as people and as a nation, if we stopped to take a breath and rearrange priorities. In the meantime, consumer must take the  responsibility of reading the label and be sure of the contents of the product that is being purchased while  companies need to be honest and accurate in the information they provide.