Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Nutritionals has attracted
quite a bit of controversy concerning their product Splenda, the
brand name for the artificial sweetener sucralose.
It seems the marketing campaign for Splenda, "Made from sugar
so it tastes like sugar," has been accused of misleading consumers
into believing the artificial sweetener is a natural sugar alternative.
Moreover, what the campaign does not reveal is that Splenda is actually
a chemically created product that uses substances such as chlorine
and phosgene, a poisonous gas. The Centers for Disease Control has
even described one of the ingredients used in Splenda as a major
chemical used to make plastics and pesticides.
Generation Green Exposes Stealth Splenda
Campaign
One consumer group, known as Generation Green, has called on the
Federal Trade Commission to investigate McNeil's misleading
campaign. Generation Green is a group of parents and other concerned
citizens who:
- Place high importance on protecting the consumer's right
to know about chemical exposure (specifically in relation to food)
so that people can make informed decisions.
- Favor corporate and government policies that allow children
to grow up protected from exposure to toxins.
In response to McNeil's deceitful marketing campaign, the
executive director of Generation Green stated, "This couldn't
be farther from the truth. Splenda is a man-made chemical compound
unrecognizable as sugar." And, even though McNeil has never
outright labeled Splenda as "natural," the company's
advertising efforts have deviously conveyed as much.
One of Generation Green's biggest
concerns is that Splenda is being suggestively advertised to children,
showing up in:
- Snack foods
- Breakfast cereals
- Reduced calorie fruit juices
Therefore, Generation Green's plan is to motivate the Federal
Trade Commission to halt McNeil's extensive marketing campaign
and require the company to provide the public with accurate Splenda
information.
ArriveNet
January 13, 2005
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