Yoplait is so good for this month’s Corporate Snitch award. Knowing folks are desperate to shed the holiday season pounds, they’re touting the “Two Week Tune Up” diet plan. It’s opportunistic and high in sugar.
Let’s look at Day 1. Breakfast consists of Yoplait Light Strawberry, an apple and a cup of Cheerios. As for lunch: Yoplait Light Key Lime Pie, blackberries, and Multi-grain Cheerios. Dinner includes Thai Chicken with Basil, made with Progresso soup, and a non-fat dairy dish which they recommend consists of (surprise-surprise) Yoplait® Light yogurt. Day 2 is “yogurt” based, with variations such as Nature Valley® Crunchy granola bar.
So, what exactly does this yogurt contain? All the nutritious delights that nature promises? Actually the Light Strawberry contains more corn than berries – both made by nature (I guess):
Cultured pasteurized grade A nonfat milk, high fructose corn syrup, strawberries, modified corn starch, nonfat milk, kosher gelatin, citric acid, tricalcium phosphate, aspartame, potassium sorbate added to maintain freshness, natural flavor, red #40, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3. Check out the other ingredients lists!
As for Yoplait Key Lime Pie??
Cultured Pasteurized Grade A Nonfat Milk, Modified Cornstarch, Fructose, Lime Juice Concentrate, Kosher Gelatin, Citric Acid, Tricalcium Phosphate, Aspartame, Potassium Sorbate Added To Maintain Freshness, Natural Flavor, Yellow #5, Blue #1 with Active Yogurt Cultures, Including L. Acidophilus.
And...Multi-grain Cheerios??
Whole Grain Corn, Whole Grain Oats, Sugar, Whole Grain Barley, Whole Grain Rice, Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Starch, Brown Sugar Syrup, Corn Bran, Salt, Trisodium Phosphate, Canola and/or Rice Bran Oil, Distilled Monoglycerides, Color Added. Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) added to Preserve Freshness.
But WAIT!! But what’s that we see? Progresso, Cheerios, and Nature Valley are, why yes, in the General Mills family. In fact, the diet plan is really their diet plan, where you eat not one, but two of their products with every meal. And, if that weren’t enough, they have a buddy system, where you invite a friend to join you throughout the two-week stretch. This makes twice the purchases for them and creates “buzz marketing” as you discuss Yoplait and all the other “diet” products to your friends. The gift that keeps on giving. For them.
Ah well... Next month...spme surprises from the underground!
Comments