Post# 255 - EnviroKidz Panda Puffs: Let's Save the Pandas, Not Eat Them!

This is my note, sent to EnviroKidz on 9/5/2011:

Dear EnviroKidz,

I was walking through the store last week, buying groceries for my family, and my four-year-old son, Titan, started screaming and crying.  He pointed to a cereal box--EnviroKidz Peanut Butter Panda Puffs.


As a family of animal lovers, we take great offense to your breakfast cereal, Panda Puffs.  Pandas are an endangered species, beloved by folks everywhere.  When people consider which zoos to tour, inervitably someone will ask, "does that zoo have any Pandas?"  We based our four zoo summer tour based on the inclusion of Pandas--Atlanta, Memphis, Washington D.C., and San Diego.

How dare you bring to the marketplace, a cereal geared toward children, that contains Panda.  I didn't even know people would eat Panda meat.  I find it disgusting and simply wrong.  There must be a better way.  As a company that contributes so much to the Environmental Trust Fund, I can't believe you do this.  It seems so counterproductive!




Furthermore, with Pandas suffering the effects of deforestation, how ironic that the very container in which you package your Panda cereal, is made from tree matter.  I'm sure it's recycled, but still, it's ironic.


Why don't we go back to the drawing board on this one, and come up with a different ingredient.  Maybe kids can find an alternate source of protein, instead of endangered Panda meat.  This might also make it possible to lower the price.


On behalf of Panda lovers everywhere, would you please consider retooling this product?


Sincerely,


Jerry
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Subject: Nature's Path Response Ref # 20866
Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 12:06 PM

Dear Jerry,

Thank you for your comments on Nature's Path Organic Envirokidz Panda Puffs. We take each comment seriously and we endeavor to always provide a good quality product. Nature’s Path is committed to producing quality organic foods, using the best ingredients available, while adhering to strict quality control procedures.

Nature's Path products are all vegetarian, and many are also vegan.

Organic Envirokidz Panda Puffs contains organic corn meal, organic evaporated cane juice, organic peanut butter, organic soy oil, sea salt, tocopherols (natural vitamin E) and organic tapioca starch. There is no panda ingredient in this product.

Please visit http://issuu.com/naturespathfoods/docs/sustainability2011-issuu to view our sustainability report. See page 37 on how we are saving pandas, through the Defenders of Wildlife program.

See Nature's Path for more information on our company and our products.

Thank you for being a valued Nature's Path customer.

Kind regards,



Nicolette

Consumer Services
Nature's Path Foods
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Subject: Re: Nature's Path Response Ref # 20866
te: Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 8:48 PM

Dear Nicolette, Thank you for the information.  I've now sampled your cereal and it is wonderful.  It is gluten-free, which makes it great for my mother. I find the name confusing.  Panda Puffs implies Panda as an ingredient, much as with Turtle Soup, Chixken Marsala, or Turkey Tetrazine.  Other cereals have animal mascots, but only as an association.  Froot Loops have Toucan Sam, but he's pushing the fruit element, and they aren't called "Toucan Loops."  Lucky the Leprachaun represents Lucky Charms, but this is a somewhat racist leprachaun representation tying in with the so-called lucky marshmallows. If it were me, I'd probably remove the panda tie-in, or put a big disclaimer that reads "Does Not Cointain Panda Ingredient." On the other hand, maybe you're trying to market this as a "Panda-Flavored" cereal (artificially, of course).  If this is the case, please disregard. Thanks for the info! Sincerely, Jerry -------------------- No Reply