BUBBLE BURST!
Poppi Soda faces backlash for not being a miracle in a can!
Have you ever had Poppi soda? They’re divine.
In Whole Foods across America, stacks of these bright, cheerful cans line the shelves with a variety of delightful flavors. With added benefits of probiotics, apple cider vinegar, a mere 5g of sugar, and 25 calories max, they are a unique kind of “surprise and delight.” So, of course, people sued.
In a world where sensitivity reigns supreme, it's hard to imagine anything is safe from pretentious backlash, even something as innocent (and as perfectly packaged) as Poppi.
The core complaint of this lawsuit is that Poppi (a soda company) misled consumers into thinking that their product (soda) would provide meaningful and noticeable benefits to their overall gut health. The complaint states that consumers would need to drink four or more cans of Poppi a day to notice the benefits of the 2g of prebiotics per can. Because of this, they are accusing Poppi (a soda company!!!!!) of violating California’s False Advertising Law.
In layman's terms:
People are furious that this $4 soda isn't, in fact, a miracle health elixir. Poppi is merely a better option than traditional soda; however, this simply isn't enough. Cry me a river of carbonated tears.
To assume that you’re ever making a “healthy choice” by drinking soda is delusional. It’s a treat: something to have in moderation, not as a building block of your diet. What did you expect? Did it cross your mind when you paid the $3.99 per can that you, in fact, are responsible for your own health and wellness? Poppi hasn’t swindled anyone. It’s willingly purchased, over and over again by those who have every option to reach for something healthier, like water. There is no obligation to buy it, no pressure to drink it. The only thing Poppi is guilty of is selling a product that people enjoy buying.
The irony of this level of moral superiority is that the harder one tries to achieve it, the more of a parody of themselves they become. This perversion of self-identity strips everything from the actual individual. We are reduced to our material possessions: only buying from places and brands because they “align” with our “aesthetic.” Everything unique is replaced with an amalgamation of who we want others to believe we are, suffocating all that we could have been in the process.
Buy all of the Dr. Barbara Sturm your heart desires, take your $45 Pilates classes, pick whatever non-alcoholic beverage you want. If you do all that, you’ll already be aware that castor oil exists for a fraction of the cost, that YouTube has millions of free lessons, and that a glass of tap water will quench your thirst just fine. Be comforted in the knowledge that you are responsible for your own choices; be thankful that burden has been placed upon you, and not in the hands of a soda company.
If you don’t want to drink Poppi because you feel the cons far outweigh the pros,
I support you.
More for me.
Critically Yours,
Alexandra Diana
This post was not brought to you by Poppi, the delightful prebiotic soda, though I did enjoy several in way of a peaceful protest. However, if someone from the company happens to see this post and would like to support, I would love this in a size small.