NAKED JUICE PRODUCTS COME INTO QUESTION
By Morgayne Mulkern
Comment Staff
Do you know what is really in your Naked juice smoothie? Is it really “all natural?”
These are the questions concerning consumers of Naked juice smoothies, including students at Bridgewater State University who have purchased Naked juice smoothies in the Rondileau Campus Center.
Naked juice has had a class action lawsuit against them because their smoothies are thought not to be “all natural”, even though they advertise them as all natural. According to recent news stories, the class action lawsuit also claims that Naked juices contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Bridgewater State student and education major Abby Ross said that the supposedly healthy, all natural content of Naked juice smoothies is what originally attracted her to the drinks.
Another BSU student, political science major Daniel Martinez, said the same and explained that he sometimes drank them as a meal replacement.
When both students realized that naked juice may not be all natural, as they claim to be, and are thought to contain GMOs, they had similar reactions.
“I felt upset because of the false advertising,” Ross said. “I will now look for a healthier snack instead.”
“To be honest I felt betrayed,” Martinez said. “We continue to trust companies and what they tell us on their labels and time and time again things like this happen.”
Martinez said that he would no longer drink Naked juice smoothies. Ross said she would drink them on occasion, but less frequently than she had before.
Bridgewater State professor of Biology, Dr. John C. Jahoda, showed an appreciation for the complexity of the recent Naked juice findings.
“There is quite a debate going on about whether or not GMOs are natural or not, and whether or not the products produced by them and from them are good or not,” Jahoda said. “The best advice I can give is until it is shown to be safe with a lot of good scientific evidence it is best to avoid GMO products and to stick to products that are locally grown or at least are from non GMO and certified organic sources.”
Forced into settlement, Naked juice is still insisting that their smoothies are all natural, but their all natural status is now clouded by concern and suspicion. Consumers of the juice can actually fill out a form and obtain money back in accordance with a nine million dollar class action settlement fund.
Morgayne Mulkern is a Comment staff writer. Email her at mmulkern@student.bridgew.edu.
