The Centers for Disease Control has a new take on the suggested fruit and veggie intake for Americans. On their website there is an interactive tool to determine how many fruits and veggies you need each day. Cool, huh? But who uses this besides food writers like me doing research on the web?

And the only reason I was researching the latest suggestions, knowing they practically change every week, is because I saw this new product in the grocery store today:

And I said out loud, “WHAT?”

The package says. “ It’s not juice. It’s a snack. We’ve bottled up bits of our favorite fruits and a splash of natural juice for a snack that’s pure perfection. You’ll sip. You’ll chew. You’ll see.”

All for $2.99.

Why not just eat and apple? Or a handful of strawberries and an orange?
So I bought it, thinking I can’t knock it until I try it, right?

It tasted fresh, much like pureed fruit. The ingredients are strawberry pieces and a bunch of juices from concentrate with “natural flavors” which always makes me wonder. But after a few sips, I was bored. It held none of the interest of eating real fruit. Biting into the crisp apple, or pulling back the flesh of an orange from the skin or popping the whole grape in my mouth at once with a soft crunch through the skin.

So I sat there looking at the glass, knowing I should finish it, after all I hadn’t had my fruit servings yet today. My mom’s voice was echoing in my head not to waste food and so I headed straight for the freezer and my stash of vodka. Now we’re talking. But does it still count as my fruit intake? Sure, why not?

Will I buy it again? Probably not. Was it wasted money this time? No, I’ll enjoy the other bottle tomorrow night with my splash of Svedka.

Would you buy this product or one of the other 10 or 15 out there touting several servings of fruits or veggies just to get your count in for the day? Let me know in the comments section after this post. In the meantime, cheers!