Farmers begrudgingly refrain from growth hormones

I noticed on the side of a milk carton today that the farmers' pledge to refrain from using artificial growth hormones came with a footnote:

11000 Farmers' Pledge No Artificial Growth Hormones*
*To satisfy our consumers

What is up with that footnote? Apparently if it were up to the farmers, they would have cows that look like Arnold Schwarzenegger with utters. But no, the "consumers" don't want growth hormones so fine then...I guess we'll leave it out.

Utz Potato Chips - For The Dumb But Healthy

On this bag of Utz potato chips, the Utz copy writers proclaim that their recipe has:
"the lowest sodium level among leading chip brands"
Then they go on to say:
"We have never advertised that fact, but we thought those concerned with their sodium intake would want to know."

Apparently writing and distributing that fact on millions of bags of potato chips is not considered advertising. I could let that one slide, but the part that really gets me is the fact that they write this drivel right next to the government mandated Nutrition Facts box which clearly labels the sodium level of the chips! So I suppose what they are really saying is:

"If you're concerned with your sodium level but you are not sure if 95 mg (4% daily recommended value) is good for you, well let us reassure you that it is less than those other guys."

Maybe I'm being to hard on the good folks at Utz. They really do make a tasty chip. Plus, just to make sure their less than smart clients understand the nutritional value of their snacks, the Utz website includes a handy PDF document called How to Read Nutrition Labels. This informative document will straighten everything out with simple to understand descriptions such as:

"CALORIES: Lists the number of calories in the serving stated above."
"TOTAL FAT: Lists the grams of fat in a serving of the food."

Homemade Commercial: Giant Chicken Likes Potato Chips

Here is a fairly hilarious user generated commercial for Lays Potato chips. Bob likes potato chips. Giant chicken likes potato chips. Bob doesn't like to share. Need I say more? Link

Branding Run Amok: Route 11 Potato Chips

I'm all for advertising, but I have limits to the amount of hyperbole I can withstand on a single package of potato chips.

Take for example this bag of Route 11 potato chips. The tag line at the bottom of all their bags these days is:
"Made in Limited Quantities, but in Unlimited Quality."

First of all, is it possible to make ANYTHING in unlimited quantities? What are they trying to contrast themselves with? Are they saying Lays and Wise makes their potato chips in infinite quantities? It doesn't take and economics expert to figure out where the supply/demand curve ends up when there is an infinite supply.

Second of all, what is with the "unlimited quality" claim right next to the expiration date? Are they saying that going stale as of February 2008 is not a limitation to the quality of their chips? Ridiculous.



On the back of the bag, there is another branding-run-amok display on the mailing address. Because these are "Route 11" potato chips, they somehow feel it is more in line with the brand to include "Route 11" not only in the Name of the company but also the first line of the address, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE A POST OFFICE BOX.

Just to make sure I wasn't over-reacting, I checked the address out with the U.S. Post Office address verification service. Sure enough, the post office address scrubber drops the U.S. Route 11 off the address.

Come on, people. Give me a break.

I invite all opinions via the comment link below, or via writing at:
Traveling Munchies
c/o Traveling Munchies
travelingmunchies@travelingmunchies.com