It has the awesome, rhyming name “Snapple Apple.” It has a prominent photo of a juicy, red, sliced-up apple. How can it contain absolutely no apple juice? If you look at the ingredients of Snapple Apple, you see that it consists of the following: “filtered water, sugar, pear juice, concentrate, citric acid, natural flavors, vegetable and fruit extracts (for color).” No apples. Consumerist’s managing editor Ben Popken wanted to know why his bottle of Snapple Apple contained some pear juice, but no apple juice, and sent an email off to Snapple. The response Popken received from Snapple’s Consumer Relations department didn’t really address the seeming illogic at work here, and basically just said the company complied with “all applicable labeling regulations promulgated” by the FDA. Snapple then seemed to try to turn the tables on Popken, telling him to contact his health care provider if he had concerns about his “intake” of the product. Popken reports that the key to Snapple being able to sell a Snapple Apple that contains no apple juice lies in the phrase “juice drink” — and specifically the word “drink:” Here’s what’s really going on: While something called “juice” and having pictures of fruit on…
