Vitaminwater

Coca Cola is being sued for making false health claims about Vitaminwater.  John Robbins exposes the idiocy of Coca Cola's claims in court -- Coke isn't arguing that Vitaminwater is, in fact, good for you, but that no one could possibly believe that it is a healthy product.  Really?  I actually like Michael Pollan's rule of thumb: Avoid foods you see advertised on television.

A few other reactions:

• Gawker seems to think it was self-evident that Vitaminwater isn't good for you (Hello, I'm An Idiot Who Thought Vitaminwater Was Healthy), but seems to me that coastal college-educated yuppies are the ones who have been lapping up Vitaminwater the most
• Stumpuous is fed up with the whole idea that a few synthesized vitamins or supplements will make you healthier.  Enough is enough: Fuck supplements
• Sugarstacks (awesome site) shows you how many sugar cubes are in various foods.  Check out beverages (and see below).  Vitaminwater has about half the sugar of an equivalent amount of Coke (33 grams vs. 65 grams)
• A Snickers bar has less sugar than a bottle of Vitaminwater

Yet somehow Vitaminwater is one of those products that is acceptable to drink if you are an upper-middle class conventionally health-conscious person.  Snickers bars, not so much.  That's because Vitaminwater has been branded as smart, intelligent, water-based, and full of vitamins.  Brilliant branding, but guess what?  It's still just sugar water.