Cherry 7-Up Antioxidant: Really?

September 17th, 2009

Just when you thought the organic/sustainable food movement was finally starting to take hold:

When I saw this commercial last night, I seriously considered packing my things and moving to a different country. (It didn’t help that I had just watched Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations Sardinia episode, where everything they eat — lardo, pecorino, spaghetti con bottarga, the famous Sardinian flatbread, even the olive oil — is local and made by hand.)

Let’s take a look at the ingredients, courtesy of 7Up.com:

CARBONATED WATER, HIGH
FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP AND
CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH
OF THE FOLLOWING: CITRIC ACID,
NATURAL FLAVORS, POTASSIUM
BENZOATE (PRESERVATIVE),
VITAMIN E ACETATE, RED 40

Twenty-six grams of sugar a pop sounds like a great way to protect your cells from free radical damage and cancer! People have lost their minds.

–Jennifer Grayson