Why are there apples in this Walmart oatmeal when it says peaches on the box?
TikTok user Paden Ferguson (@padiano) asks “Hey Walmart, you good?” after a trip down the retailer’s cereal aisle.
While many different fruit-flavored oatmeal are available for sale, Ferguson observes that the only fruit listed on their ingredient lists is apples.
So how about those apples? Are they a legit substitution? Or is Walmart trying to pull a fast one?
Ferguson posted his reveal to his TikTok account yesterday. It currently has over 379,200 views.
What’s up with the ingredients in this Walmart oatmeal?
“You are not going to believe this,” Ferguson states at the beginning of his video.
He’s then seen picking up a box of Walmart’s Great Value brand instant oatmeal from a shelf.
“These Strawberries and Cream Instant Oatmeals don’t have any strawberries in them,” he claims as he displays the item’s ingredients list. A brief screen text flashes on the screen stating “This feels deceptive.”
“It’s got apple pieces [instead] but that’s not all,” he says, displaying another box of Peaches and Cream Instant oatmeal. “Doesn’t have any peaches in it,” he notes.
“It’s peach-flavored apple pieces,” he continues as he displays the ingredient on the box. He also notes the Lemon Creme oatmeal contains no lemon.
“I’m not a huge fan of Quaker,” he states, grabbing a box of the company’s flavored oatmeal, “but at least their Strawberries and Cream oatmeal has strawberries in it.”
“How is that not false advertising?” he wonders.
Why use apples instead of peaches?
Walmart does not offer any reason for the use of apples instead of other fruits in its oatmeal on the company website.
However, apples are one of the top 10 cheaper fruits available according to the Flipp Tipps food blog.
“Apple is readily available year-round and is one of the cheapest fruits to buy.”
Per the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, “Apples are harvested in late summer and early fall; however, we can buy fresh apples from the store all year … due to Controlled Atmosphere Storage.”
For this reason. many of the juices that you find in the juice aisle of your grocery often have more apple juice in them than what the juice is marketed as.
“Apple juice makes up a good chunk of the juice bottles and jugs you find at the supermarket,” according to Food Republic.
They cite a social media post that “photographed the ingredient lists of 13 non-apple drinks” and found “the majority of them were comprised of at least 50% apple juice.”
“Apple juice is a win-win for manufacturers because it’s far cheaper than most other fruit juices.”
Is it false advertising?
Strictly speaking, no, substituting one fruit from another is not legally false advertising. Listing an ingredient that isn’t in the product or not listing one that is would be considered false.
But what Walmart is doing by substituting apples for other fruits can only be considered misleading. As long as the company declares the ingredient on the ingredient list then it isn’t “advertising” falsely.
This is one reason consumers should always carefully check ingredient lists.
According to Medium, “a drink that says ‘sugar-free’ and ‘natural’ on the front of the package, may contain artificial sweeteners and other additives in the ingredient list.”
“By using misleading labels and popular phrases, companies distract consumers from chemical compounds such as trans fats, added sugar, and others they can use in food, which in turn can have a negative impact on health.”
Viewers react
In response to the video, ChozenLotus (@chozenlotus) commented, “I’m honestly so confused and baffled at food ingredients. For what purpose? Why can’t foods be as simple as possible?”
“I don’t buy Great Value anything,” one viewer stated.
Another wrote, “I’m allergic to apples and it honestly would never occur to me to check if apples were in the strawberries and cream oatmeal.”
“Pretty much every juice has apples in it except a select few prune, grape, or cranberry. They use apples to claim 100% juice,” another observed.
The Daily Dot reached out to Ferguson via email and TikTok messenger for further comment. He responded with the following:
“As a food manufacturer myself, I understand using a variety of ingredients to achieve a specific flavor. However, if you are going to call something Strawberries and Cream, then you should have strawberries in it. Or at the very least, a disclosure stating ‘imitation strawberry pieces’ like they do on their blueberry pancakes.”
“While apples are not a top 9 allergen, they are a common allergen as shown in my comment section. Would someone with an apple allergy think to check a Strawberries and Cream oatmeal? I wouldn’t think so.”
@padiano Hey Walmart, you good? #walmartfinds #greatvalue #oatmeal ♬ original sound – Paden Ferguson
The Daily Dot reached out to Walmart via its website’s media portal for a statement.
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