Still another trend I saw at Expo West was an emphasis on new packaging. Companies it seems, have heard the message that we don't want things in plastic bottles. That's the good news. What is frustrating is the learning curve they seem to be going through in order to get to a solution.
Here is Mother Nature's packaging for my argument. Nice, sturdy, recyclable container, holds up well in my computer bag. Probably about 60 calories in that serving size. Mother Nature isn't required to label her goods, but it contains fiber, vitamin C, antioxidants, to name a few.
Here is something I've been using a lot lately, it's especially handy when I travel, or when I eat out in restaurants and want to be sure that what I get has been handled in a sanitary fashion. Zero calories, zero sugar, makes it through airport security, doesn't squash, doesn't rot, recyclable container. Derived from actual fruit so though it is fiber free, it does contain vitamin C. Honestly, I prefer exhibit A but sometimes it just isn't available. This comes in a reasonable second.
And here is what I saw at Expo West. This package is supposedly 2 servings, each 70 calories each. And if I am by myself and I am drinking it on the go, do you really think I'm going to save half? How can I? No, I'll pour the whole thing into my water and turn it into the near caloric equivalent of a soda. That is, if it makes through being squashed by my computer and my iPad and my gym shoes and my product samples, without being squished open and turning everything pink and shorting out the computers in the process. It's supposed to be planet-friendly but nowhere on the website or packaging do I see anything about this packaging being recyclable.
What does this have to do with PCOS you might ask? The fact that the words"organic" and"healthy" are prettily placed on the front of the packaging along with the organic certification logo. The serving size, calorie, and carbohydrate information is around the corner, and in much smaller print. If you check out the ingredients, it's sugar water with organic"flavor"…and even though it's organic, it's still just flavor with some vitamin C thrown in. We all know when Mother Nature designed the original package she put more than one vitamin in hers.
Don't be fooled. Even when it's organic you still have to read the label to be sure it meets your standards.