Danimals Yogurt Smoothies: Serve at Your Own Risk

If a yogurt smoothie is labeled, “Contains No Juice,” how much fruit juice would you expect to find in it? Did you say 0%? If you did, you’d be wrong. According to a customer relations representative who spoke to my wife this afternoon, Dannon brand Danimals yogurt smoothies contain about 1% fruit juice.

Rebecca has an intolerance to apples. It isn’t life-threatening, but if she ever eats anything with even a little bit of apple in it, we can expect one or two days of severe rash and diarrhea. This means that Connie and I have gotten very good at checking ingredient labels. We once found apple juice in a jar of baby food spaghetti! Rebecca has been asking for Danimals because of the Hanna Montana promotional tie-in. Last week when Connie went shopping, she decided to get some as a special treat. The individual three-ounce bottles of Raspberry and Strawberry-Banana flavored smoothies clearly state “Contains No Juice.” Well, guess what we later discovered on the ingredient label on the cardboard packaging? One of the listed ingredients was “Fruit and Vegetable Juice (for Color).”

Did I mention that some people can have a literally deadly allergic reaction to strawberries? Others have problems with raspberries or red fruits generally (you know, the kind of fruits one might reasonably use to color a strawberry- or raspberry-flavored drink). Did I mention that the customer service rep who spoke with Connie didn’t know precisely what kind of “fruit and vegetable juice” was used to color their “contains no juice” product? And that when Connie attempted to explain that parents take their children’s potential allergic reactions to food products rather seriously, she calmly told her, “But ma’am, it’s only in there for color”?

Frankly, I don’t care if they put fruit juice in there to ward off evil spirits. If they have put any in there at all, they shouldn’t be labeling a product “contains no juice.”

I can imagine a situation where a child whose reaction would be far more severe than Rebecca’s is offered a Danimals drink at a party. No doubt, the adults in that child’s life would know that a particular fruit or other additive is off limits, but if the product is clearly labeled “contains no juice,” what could be the harm? I can also imagine the original packaging with the vital information being thrown away and no one thinking twice about offering what would be a potentially life-threatening beverage to some dear little one. I guarantee you, a frantic parent taking their child to the emergency room, clueless about what may have caused an allergic response, would not be in the least comforted to know that the deadly substance was only in there for the color.

If your child has an allergy or intolerance to particular fruit juices, I recommend you not serve them Danimals beverages. I know they’ll never be found in our refrigerator again. And if you’re as upset by Dannon’s deceptive advertising and cavalier attitude toward the health of children as I am, you might want to let them know by calling 1-877-326-6668 or by using the Feedback Form on their website.