March 19, 2009

poop50

And the award for this month’s most ingenious new food product goes to… Tropicana Trop50. Spotted today at the grocery store. It’s orange juice, diluted 1:1 with water (plus a few chemical additives) and sold at a higher price in a smaller container—get this—as a “light and healthy” alternative to actual OJ. Because, you know, oranges are a leading cause of obesity and ill health.

amanda (March 20, 2009)

scott, you’re such an angry blogger lately.
KERaven (March 20, 2009)

Scott, you should keep in mind that not everyone has the ridiculously high metabolism that you do!
MRhé (March 20, 2009)

Faeces has a high fiber content.
MRhé (March 20, 2009)

Although I agree with ‘Manda - these are some ol’ school style Scottorant posts!
foonyor (March 22, 2009)

Maybe it’s obvious, but I think the point of Scott’s ire is that you could make Trop50 for half the price of original Trop by simply buying OJ and watering it down (which people in the UK actually do, even though I find it gross).

I think this is a triumph of capitalism in dark economic times. A company has found a way to sell half as much product for the same price, simply by targeting an audience who’s so in with hip new alternatives that they fall for the gimmick. It’s classic demand elasticity (or some jazzy economic term I can’t remember).
Scott (March 22, 2009)

Ergo, demand elasticity is inversely correlated with waistband elasticity!

You’re right that, though the nutritional implications of the advertising copy are remarkable, I found the economic argument most compelling. Before you know it, they’ll be bottling ordinary tap water and selling it at a higher price than gasoline! Oh yeah…
MRhé (March 22, 2009)

Tangentially I would like to submit that normal Trop OJ is delightful, especially the pulpy-as-whoa version.