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Oprah causes a run on aqai products creating a food shortage in the Amazon
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Oprah causes a run on aqai products creating a food shortage in the Amazon. Have you heard about The Oprah Effect? It is like marketing on steroids. When a product or promotion appears anywhere near Oprah Winfrey, sales are sure to skyrocket. It happened with the disastrous KFC free chicken promotion, and now, it is happening again in the Amazon.
Over a year ago, Oprah and Dr. Oz were chatting on The Oprah Winfrey Show about acai, a purple Amazon berry promoted as a “superfood.” Dr. Oz said that acai had twice the antioxidant content of a blueberry and included it on his anti-aging checklist. Once America heard Oprah and acai in the same breath, the product began flying off the shelves.
American spending on acai-products doubled to $104 million last year. Exports from the state of Para in Brazil climbed 53 percent while production of the fruit had increased very little. Some websites claim the berries can help with weight loss, increased energy, sexual dysfunction and slowing down the aging process, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to review acai-products for safety or health benefits.
According to Bloomberg, the rise in U.S. consumer demand for acai “is depriving Brazilian jungle dwellers of protein-rich nutrients they’ve relied on for generations.” And the desire for Brazil to boost production to meet the demand may also have a negative impact on the environment. The acai palm trees need to be planted by riverbeds, because they require lots of water to be productive.
So when does the environmental and human cost outweigh America’s desire to be young and thin? Francisca Neves, a 68 year-old resident of Igarape-Miri, an Amazon village 1,100 miles north of Brasilia, said she and her fellow villagers are paying the price for the berry’s international fame.
We are happy that people on the other side of the world are able to enjoy our acai, but we don’t want to have to go without it. Why should we suffer so people who don’t even know anything about the fruit can have their acai pills?”
Should Oprah be more aware of the products she’s promoting? Is she responsible for the impact of her brand? Share your experiences and comments below.
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For More Info:
Truth About Oprah and Acai
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