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Michelle Obama’s juice brand PLEZi not safe to serve school children, claim experts

'She has been ill-served by advisers who convinced her to start by targeting 6- to 12-year-olds,' a professor said

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Michelle Obama’s juice brand PLEZi has reportedly failed to pass the Obama administration's health standard. The former first lady earlier claimed that “most kids get to school age, drinking only water and milk just isn’t a reality. We’ve gotta live in the real world, we’ve gotta give kids something they want,” while offering a “healthy” alternative of drinks filled with sugar.

However, now it has been reported that PLEZi Nutrition’s products are not totally healthy. Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, told Bloomberg News that Obama’s offerings as “standard-industry, ultra-processed products not to be promoted to kids.”

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'She has been ill-served by advisers’

Jerold Mande, an adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and chief executive officer of Nourish Science, noted that there’s no doubt the 59-year-old attorney “has done more to improve child nutrition than any other political leader”. However, “she has been ill-served by advisers who convinced her to start by targeting 6- to 12-year-olds with a flashy, ultra-processed beverage that may not be any healthier than diet soda,” Mande added.

Plezi offers drinks in four flavors — sour apple, tropical punch, orange smash, and blueberry blast, “for kids ages 6 and up,” as per its website. Unlike other brands in the market, “it's got less sugar, less sweetness, and more nutrients like fiber and potassium. And the best part is that it tastes fantastic!”

But experts do not agree. Bonnie Liebman, director of nutrition at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told Bloomberg, “Kids are also better off getting the intact fiber in fruit, rather than the processed fiber added to Plezi. It’s not clear that the soluble fiber would make kids feel full, and it’s unlikely to prevent constipation, but it certainly can’t hurt.”

‘Michelle Obama destroyed school lunches with her standards’

Meanwhile, there were a few reactions to the juice brand controversy as a user tweeted, “Karma is a wonderful thing. Michelle Obama destroyed school lunches with her standards. Kids hate the food that they have to eat, and most of it ends up in the garbage can because it tastes awful. Now she can’t sell her fruit drink because it violates her own nutrition standards!”

Another user commented, “Oh my! Bloomberg fact-checked Michelle Obama‘s new drink called PLEZI says it should not be served in US schools  Now the Obamas are going to go after Bloomberg because that’s what they do when they get criticized about something!” “Michelle Obama has $100 million in net worth. Does she really need to sell fruit drinks? The stevia in her fruit drink is not healthy. Using stevia can reduce calories but side effects include nausea, bloating, low blood pressure, and hormone disruption. I won’t be buying it!” the third user said.

“Have your kids eat those cute tangerines, strawberries, blueberries, apple slices dipped into peanut butter, and bananas for lunch. Ask Did God make this? Eat it. God doesn't add refined sugars or preservatives. Makes them in appealing vibrant colors. They have a-peel!” the fourth one added.

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