Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Nesquik Chocolate Syrup Ingredients

After seeing the poster montage for Nesquik chocolate syrup on the street (yesterday’s video post), I was curious about the product’s ingredients. I went to a local supermarket and found a bottle.

I was not surprised by the sugar and cocoa, and a couple chemistry lab remnants (tricalcium phosphate and potassium sorbate) caused me no shock. However, I was a little intrigued by the presence of the petroleum-based artificial colorants red 40, blue 1 and yellow 6.

Still standing in Aisle 3, I called Nesquik’s toll-free number, which was printed on the bottle.
Alicia was the lucky winner of my call. As is usually the case with my calls to the big food companies, it seemed like the customer service representative and I were speaking different languages.

ME: Why is there red 40, blue 1 and yellow 6 in your chocolate syrup?


ALICIA: I don’t know the science behind it.


ME: Forget the science; isn’t chocolate syrup supposed to be the color of chocolate? Why the other colors?


ALICIA: The other colors help make it darker.


ME: I don’t understand. What’s wrong with just the color of chocolate? It is chocolate syrup, isn’t it?


ALICIA: Honestly, it’s a marketing decision. Consumers like the darker color better and the colors help make it darker.


ME: Huh? Again, what’s wrong with just the color of chocolate?


ALICIA: I’ve melted chocolate before, and it just doesn’t get that darker color.


I was about to mention something about dark chocolate, but I cut myself short, realizing that would have made the conversation even more Sisyphean than it already was.

8 comments:

itwasalvrstryst said...

Oh, come now. We all know that REAL chocolate is actually light pink and therefore needs much artificial enhancement to keep this "chocolate is brown" rumor going.

Note: I could not find the ingredients for any Nesquik products on their website. Nutritional information, sure. They're delighted to tell you that it (100 calorie nesquik) has calcium, vitamin D, and no added sugar (I assume they mean "no added sugar on top of the artificial chemicals").

I'm glad I've actually managed to convice several friends to stop drinking beverages containing aspartame and sucralose which took years to finally be approved by the FDA. Hmm...

Keep up the good work! I'm glad that there are more people fighting to de-chemicalize(?) the masses. :)

Unknown said...

Endelman, get a reality, get a life. Relax.
First, no one at Nestle Consumer Affairs is that viscerally knowledgeable about the absurd minutae you were attempting to be supposedly so smart about. The consumer, who numbers into the tens of millions and have a smile on their face are more than pleased with the taste of (a) Nesquick as same brings joy and I don't see people keeling over upon drinking any chocolate milk, starting with Nesquick.

If you want to apply your concern where it critically counts ask yourself how a Chinese Jin Class sub can travel 12,000 miles across the Pacific undetected, fire a missile off the California coast and then make it back to China undetected. That IS of beyond critical concern. Not chocolate milk.

Anonymous said...

Im no retired LT. COl. USMC (ret.) like equinoxranch, but its a verifiable fact, (unlike chinese subs on the west coast), that there are ingredients which this drink has that are kept secret. No doubt, the government keeps secrets, but we don't drink the government for breakfast. In fact they do a lot we never know, or drink. So yeah lets say China shot a missle off the coast of Oregon...what the artificial ingredients? Carcinogeous? Petroleum based sounds cancer causing, and no doubt there are substances in our food supply that are accepted because they are only presumed to be toxic in large quantities...binge drinking deaths!

Anonymous said...

I have recently discovered that I am allergic to some of these dyes and artificial flavorings in foods. The welts, itching, and rashes that I experience are awful to deal with. These dyes are in almost all medications now. I am having a tough time finding only "white" colored medications to treat my rheumatoid arthritis. I can't be the only one with sensitivities to these unnecessary dyes and artificial flavorings in our food! I used to reject the thought of buying only natural, organic food items and now, I have to or suffer the consequences. But finding medications that are dye-free is proving to be impossible!

Schnebsy said...

Why does Nestles have to use chocolate when they can just fill the bottle with crude and just tweak it, chemically, of course!? Those petrochemical guys are so zealous to get their product into EVERYthing!

Anonymous said...

a little unknown fact.all nestle product contain lithium but it is not on the list of ingredience

Anonymous said...

Thank out for the warning, I presume the powders are the same. All I want to do, is stay as healthy as possible, for as long as possible. Money makes the world go round....

Madge Russell said...

I buy Nestle chocolate syrup because it's chocolate syrup, not chocolate-flavored; it uses real sugar (no artificial sweeteners), NO high-fructose corn syrup,no caffeine (99% caffeine free), and it's fat-free. That's enough for me.