• Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    A majority of the things that sponsor YouTube videos. As great as much of that stuff is, one must not forget the reason many people advertise products online is to serve as a loophole when something about it is too questionable for the stores. I previously mentioned MagicSpoon cereal for example, and as good as it might be in moderation, it’s a well-known FDA nightmare because things with artificial sweeteners are so antsy to get themselves on shelves. Probably my favorite example though is Established Titles, which I’m known to simultaneously make fun of often, point out how over-the-top it is with its scammy reputation, and admire its intentions since it’s technically trying to help in ways that surpass Ecosia (and to the next person who replies to this, that’s Lady Leni to you!)

      • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        So for context, a lot of foods have swerved their way around having true sugar in their ingredients once a substitute was realized. They call these artificial sweeteners, and they’re advertised as a replacement for sugar, but because they’re also not as natural compared to sugar (by far), there has been concern they’re carcinogens (which a lot of things we use are, such as air freshener spray, though this isn’t to say there is anything against them, just they cannot be taken for granted).

        Along comes Magic Spoon, a cereal brand where the lack of added sugar is one of the pillars and which also advertises more vivid flavors. To the point that a lot of people will be arguing that you might as well just swear off cereal. I’ve seen a lot of people in stores sell Magic Spoon, but these are typically pre-bought in bulk and put in tiny family-run convenience stores, otherwise the main source is YouTube videos because they know the big sellers are more cautious.

        • cheese_greater@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Its Stevia right?

          I think Stevia is one of the less controversial natural sweeteners. I say natural because pure stevia extract or whatever the single ingredient variety is grows just like sugarcane and is refined into a table/product-ready in no worse a way than for regular sugar.

          I think MagicSpoon is another product marketing itself almost exclusively online in the same way that Cards Against Humanity did and found much success with while slashing their costs to produce and market a novel product without the enormous overhead of having to negotiate deals with chain stores for an already saturated market of shelf space.

          Grocery stores are incredibly complex and to appear on the shelf requires demanding contracts that put the pressure on the supplier as opposed to the store itself which ostensibly holds all the cards and can make many one-sided demands of the supplier that may not be practical for a smaller company like MagicSpoon (I’m assuming).

          They’re certainly no Kellogs or Post or whatever large cereal brand in terms of market share since its a niche product (Most people are addicted to sugar so their audience is definitionally limited to those who have already quit sugar or those who want to replace their sugary breakfast cereals with something containing no sugar and maybe that has other desirable nutrient profiles consistent with the larger profile of their general diet.