NATURAL FLAVORS = SOY

All Natural Juice contains SOY ... really!

I spent time this morning contacting Simply Orange Juice Company, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola (1-800-871-2653) to inquire about the ingredient "Natural Flavors" in their products, which include:

• Simply Lemonade
• Simply Lemonade with Raspberry
• All sizes and all flavors, including sparkling ....

And, these products are supposedly 100% juice ... but I will boycott these too!

• Simply Apple
• Simply Orange

I asked if they could please let me know if any of the constituents of Natural Flavors contain or are derived from soy. Boy did I get the run around! The first customer service representative stated that all their "juices contain BVO, Brominated Vegetable Oil, which is soy derived but does not contain soy protein". Also I was told that "if soy was in the products, it would state that on the label ... ".

Considering there are ZERO regulations concerning lecithin or oil derived from soy, I guess I should just believe the corporation! When tested recently, by the US Department of Agriculture mind you, it was reported that all samples of lecithin and oil from soy, contained soy protein and some in very high amounts! The new regulations to issue by early 2011 by the USFDA will hopefully address this problem.

Here is an excerpt from the entry in Wikipedia for BVO, a nice, nasty, and for the wrong person (such as my son who developed PTOSIS of the right eyelid over the past three days while consuming Simply Lemonade with Raspberry - the only new addition to his restricted diet) very dangerous food additive.

"Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is vegetable oil that has had atoms of the element bromine bonded to it. Brominated vegetable oil is used as an emulsifier in citrus flavored soft drinks to help natural fat-soluble citrus flavors stay suspended in the drink and to produce a cloudy appearance.

The addition of bromine increases the density of the oil, and the amount of bromine is carefully controlled to achieve a density that is the same as the water in the drink. As a result, the BVO remains suspended in the water instead of forming separate layers.

Health effects: Individuals with higher than normal sensitivity to bromine ... experience memory loss, tremors, fatigue, loss of muscle coordination, headache, ptosis of the right eyelid as well as elevated serum chloride blood levels.

Restrictions: BVO is one of four substances that the Food and Drug Administration has defined as an interim food additive, the other three are acrylonitrile copolymers, mannitol, and saccharin.

Standards for soft drinks in India and the European Union (including the UK) prohibit the use of BVO."

Please show your support and join the boycott of these products! You can also call Simply Orange Juice Company and ask that they please state more clearly on their label that their products contain BVO/soy!