Kellogg’s Berated For Demeaning Apples

Uh-oh. Kellogg’s has been promoting its Apple Jacks cereal in a way that ruffles the feathers of the Produce for Better Health Foundation and the Center for the Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

You see, ads and a website for the cereal depict:

  • A fictional character named Bad Apple — who’s depicted as "sour" and "grouchy," as well as meddling and scheming. (Obvously not the kind of creature you’d want to hang around.) And…
  • A Jamaican-accented Cinna-Mon stick character — who is "laid back" and "happy."

Those two portrayals have the the CSPI and the Produce for Better Health Foundation steaming — so much so that they fired off a letter to Kellogg CEO James M. Jenness, urging the company "to discontinue its recent ad campaign for Apple Jacks that disparages fruits and vegetables" and "to adopt a strong policy of responsible food marketing to children."

One more thing bugs the two groups: The ads tells viewers (ostensibly, mostly kids) that "Apple Jacks doesn’t taste like apples" — a curious conclusion — "because the sweet taste of cinnamon is the winner, mon." (The organizations interpret that statement to mean that they’re trashing the fresh fruits.

There’s more. The groups insist that Apple Jacks actually contains more sugar — and, believe it or not, more salt! — than apples or apple juice concentrate, for that matter.

Finally, the letter to Kellog’s insists that "it is more likely that Apple Jacks tastes sweet because it has more sugar than any other ingredient, not because of the added cinnamon."

Hmm. This is intriguing and worth pondering, but I confess I’m still forming an opinion about this development.
First off, let me do some full disclosure here: I am a huge apple eater. In particular, I simply adore organic apples, because of their:
  • Sweet, delicious taste
  • Crunchiness
  • Fiber-filling effect
  • Multiple nutrients
  • Ability to make a wonderful snack
In fact, I’d like to formally, on the Internet, thank Mother Nature for yummy, yummy, organic Fuji apples and red delicious apples. (Frankly, without apples — often topped with some unsweetened almond butter, macadamia nut butter or a few nuts– to quell my semi-dormant "sweet tooth," it would be sooo tough to stay away from candies and cookies. One doctor I interviewed for book, SUGAR SHOCK!, even had the audacity to suggest that maybe I’m eating too much fruit, but I didn’t want to hear it! Don’t take me away from my apples. Moreover, I simply owe apples the credit for helping me to break my sugar addiction back in 1998.) And, no, I don’t Apple Jacks — though at one point, years ago, I was a fun of sugared cereals like these.
So, since I’m a defender of apples, no one better mess with their reputation, but I’m just not convinced that this ad does that.
Is this just much apple ado about nothing or is this a legitimate gripe? Will kids actually jump to the conclusion because of the Bad Apple character that apples are bad? I’m just not sure.
Of course, the CSPI and Produce for Better Health Foundation do raise some important issues — and both groups do great work — but isn’t there something that could be done to placate them and Kellogg’s?
In fact, why don’t they all just work together?
How about this? What if Kellogg’s adds a disclaimer to its Apple Jacks ads — they could add a voice over and scrolling words at the bottom of the screen that would say something like this:
"This ad doesn’t mean to put down apples. In fact, Kellogg’s encourages you to eat plenty of sweet, delicious apples and other fruits daily. We support the "5-a-program." Visit ProduceForBetterHealth.com for details. Just a thought.
Perhaps you’ll think I’m suggesting sleeping with the enemy. Rather, I believe that I’m being realistic. Apple Jacks exist — as do many other sugary cereals. So let’s just figure out a way to promote fruits and veggies more often and get the corporations selling sugary foods to be required to do it.
What do you think? Let us know.

One thought on “Kellogg’s Berated For Demeaning Apples”

  1. The ad might as well say: “Don’t worry, kids, even though this cereal has the dreaded word ‘apple’ in its title, it doesn’t actually taste like those icky, sour apples!” Pretty irresponsbile, seems to me. No, I doubt kids will consciously think “apples must be bad because the Apple Jack commercial says so.” But ads often work on a subconscious level, so planting the idea that apples aren’t good can’t be helpful.
    It would be great if Kellogg’s would put the disclaimer you wrote in the commercial, but that would make the ad less effective, so I’m sure they won’t do it. And we apparently can’t count on government to help out, either. My suggestion: parents, limit the amount of TV your kids watch. If the kids don’t see the ads, sooner or later there won’t be so many of them, right?

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