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Watch Out For This Faux Food At The Grocery Store

March 13, 2012   28 Comments

Snack Girl leaves the black and white photography for the very worst food she finds. Did it make her sad to find "guacamole" in this category?

Fake Guacamole

Why, yes it did! I don't like buying something that I think is a healthy choice as I run through the supermarket with my children demanding my attention.

As you can probably guess, I am a notorious label reader and have lost my young son because I was too focused on reading. (I found him in the freezer section next to the ice cream.)

I grabbed this packaged without looking as I was short on time. It had photos of avocados on the side so I thought I was buying some guacamole but if I had read carefully - I would have seen this is "Guacamole Veggie Dip".

Here are the ingredients:

SOYBEAN OIL, SOUR CREAM (CREAM, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, GELATIN, LACTIC ACID, GUAR GUM, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SODIUM BENZOATE AND POTASSIUM SORBATE ADDED AS PRESERVATIVES, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, CITRIC ACID, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), GREEN CHILI PEPPERS, WATER, TOMATOES AND TOMATO JUICE, AVOCADO, EGG YOLK, DISTILLED VINEGAR, SUGAR, SALT, ONION*, SPICES, TOMATO*, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, XANTHAN GUM, MUSTARD SEED, CARAMEL COLOR, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVORS, GARLIC*, YELLOW #5, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA ADDED TO PROTECT FLAVOR, BLUE #1. *DEHYDRATED

Ahem.....soybean oil? How can you put a photo of an avocado on the side of package and have it be the SIXTH ingredient. I had the same problem with some popsicles see: Don't Be Fooled By This Popsicle Marketing Trick.

This is actually dip - a mayonnaise, cream, salt flavored mix with some avocado added. Do I feel stupid for paying my $3.99 for this stuff? Yes!

Not only does this lack the avocado that I wanted - but it includes monosodium glutamate and artificial colors. They mix in YELLOW #5 and BLUE #1 to get GREEN #6 (just doing some addition here).

There must not be enough avocado in this dip to make it green enough to fool an unsuspecting mother on the run.

I am not a fan of government regulation - but I do think there should be a rule that food manufacturers should not be allowed to put a photo of a food on the outside of the package UNLESS IT IS THE FIRST INGREDIENT.

Food companies should just willingly follow this rule because they don't want to deceive consumers, right? If this is veggie dip with a wee bit of avocado added - then you shouldn't be able to use an avocado on your package. I'm just sayin'.

Have you been fooled by similar packaging?

Other posts you might like:

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Don't Be Fooled By This Popsicle Marketing Trick

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Snack Girl doesn't watch much television because she hates commercials. She does watch The Daily Show online for her nightly laughter meditation.....

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First 20 Comments: ( See all 28 )

You are not a fan of government regulation?

Do you have an idea what would be in our grocery stores if there were no "government regulation"??? Hello! It's bad enough as it is.

Great article, Lisa! Guacamole is so easy to make, too! There are so many great recipes available. It is amazing how many "faux" foods there are out there. Processed foods are never tastier and are certainly not healthy. On The Organic View Radio Show, I had the pleasure of interviewing Florida's very own Matt McLean, CEO of Uncle Matt's Organics who is not only a citrus farmer but also produces the best avocados I have ever had. Avocados are absolutely delicious and after tasting the certified organic ones from his farm, I can't say I would reach for a ready made product again. There is so much more flavor in fresh organic foods.

It is a shame that more people do not speak up about these things and say something to the store manager. Only when consumers communicate what they want and more importantly, what they don't want, will we see the good foods get the shelf space they deserve!

It's cheaper for them to deceive, which is horrible, but aside from pressuring lawmakers for regulations on such a thing. But you do have to remember, our government sends us to fear based wars(oooh remember that massacre that JUST happened?), and doesn't protect us from terrible things at home(such as monsanto)

I just love your posts! This looks gross! Reading the labels is so important!! Look at the ingredients fro the sour cream! Blah!!

@Constance - Perhaps I should clarify, I am so cynical about how our government conducts business that I don't trust them to regulate anything fairly. I lost my favorite egg farm because of government regulations that hurt small farms - so it isn't that I'm not a fan of rules that help consumers - I'm just not sure that our political system produces laws that can help us. Sad, isn't it?

I just love this site with all the fun, fact filled articles for busy people on the go!! Thx Snack Girl

I would take that back to the store. It may only be $3.99, but let them know you're not going to stand for that kind of crap.

I have made that very same mistake and was super sad when I realized what I'd done. Guacamole dip does not taste the same as guacamole!! I have given up buying premade guac and either make it myself or save it for a treat at my favorite mexican restaurant.

You have my sympathy!! :)

This hits so close to home! I did the same thing except I thought I was buying garlic hummus but it was some white veggie dip. yuck.

Homemade guac is definitely best, but if you're really pressed for time (or decent avocados) try Wholly Guacamole - I found it in the deli section at my Vons. The ingredient list is clean and it's chunky and delicious!

When you say "I lost my favorite egg farm" I sure hope you saw this farm with your own eyes. Most egg farms systematically murder the baby boy chicks by throwing them in a dumpster, as there is no use for them, also, they saw off the chicken's beaks because they are stacked so close to one another that they peck each other. AND to top it all off, the words "cage-free" or "free-range" is NOT regulated by the government (and even if it was, doesn't mean they check up on them), so in all honesty, there are probably only a few actual egg farms in the US that really are cage-free.

I hear ya snack girl! happen the same sometimes to me too!!! :( sad isn't it?

We learn as we go! but Avocado(guacamole) is GREAT when have the "right" ingridients :) LOL

If you have an Aldi nearby, they have their own brand (Benita, I think) of pre-made guacomole, too, that's "clean!" Here in Ohio it runs only $2.99 for 2 packs. Of course, fresh avocados at only $0.99 each are better if you find them ripe.

@Jamie - Thanks for sharing your info. on egg farms - yikes! Yes, I did see this farm - it still sells turkeys. I should have said "local egg farm".

I second Wholly Guacamole! I like to bring it for lunch and spread it on a bagel or some crackers. Homemade is definitely the best but for on the go Wholly Guacamole is a good alternative.

Did you return it? Being mislead by the false advertising on the package would've annoyed me enough to bring it back to the store.

@Janet - I did not return it. I don't have the receipt anymore. Do you think I should try? Maybe I should take a stand at my local Stop & Shop. I have never tried to return food before.

Thanks for clarifying, and I wanted to make sure your other readers know this as well :)

Have you tried Guacamole Hummus at Trader Joe's? It's got a great consistency and the best of both worlds (half guac, half hummus)! I also like to imitate (naturally) the guac/salsa/sour cream trio at Mexican restaurants by combining guacamole, salsa and nonfat greek yogurt on baked tortilla chips--more protein, less fat except the good kind in the avocadoes.

It can't hurt to try. The worst they can say is no. I bought a frozen food at my local Market Basket that had super high sodium and I brought it back to the store. Granted, I did have the receipt, but they didn't ask any questions, just took it back. You can always call ahead and ask. I imagine they would take it back to keep your business. Without a receipt, they may just give you a store credit.

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