So...I've been complaining about this for a while now and I decided to try to DO something about
it! I wrote two separate customer letters to the Kraft corporation (they own the Crystal Light Company)...the first was just a customer comment letter but the second was a customer innovation admission letter that they will actually respond to! I'm attaching my customer letter so you understand what I'm talking about because the innovation submission was in a bunch of different entry boxes rather than one paragraph. ENJOY!
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Hello! First I'd like to say thank you to those responsible for creating the Crystal Light drink mixes because they are wonderful! However, I'm a woman in a professional job and my favorite flavor is the Cherry Pomegranate. I don't feel comfortable drinking this mix during my work hours because it stains my lips and teeth for a good 30 minutes after enjoying my beverage! Is it truly necessary for the flavor to have SO much food coloring added in? You are marketing these mixes to grown adult women with hopes to help them drink more water, not young children who need the bright colors to get excited! I understand that your recent commercials are all about the colors and that is fine, make THEM colorful and make the packaging colorful but PLEASE make the drink mixes colorless!!! Adult women do not need to look like clowns with "Kool-aid" style mustaches, red stained gums, and tinted teeth! For me, and others I know, this side-effect has become a deterrent to using such mixes. Even mixing the powders with water becomes an issue if ANY powder manages to escape the desired container as it will inevitably stain fingers and worse, clothing! Drinking the Fruit Punch, Cherry Pomegranate, Pomegranate Lemonade etc. (primarily the red-colored flavors) comes with consequences that has caused me to use these products less often which is the exact opposite effect that the marketing campaign is trying to accomplish! I really would like to routinely add these wonderful flavors to my water and would do so if I didn’t have to worry about looking so silly! All I ask is that you at least consider making some clear choices like a “white cherry pomegranate” still containing all the fabulous flavor but without all the unnecessary food coloring additives. In a world of people searching for more health conscious options I really believe that your market population would be accepting and truly welcome such an alteration! Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns. Best wishes,
Melissa Stonecipher
Bakersfield, CA
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Hi Melissa Stoneipher!This confirms that Kraft Foods has received the idea that you electronically submitted through our Innovate with Kraft web site. We sincerely thank you for choosing to share your idea with us. You can expect to hear back from someone on our Innovations Team in about 6 weeks.Please do not respond to this email, as we do not have ability to receive responses at this web address.If you have further questions about our Innovation policy, we invite you to review our
FAQs at innovatewithkraft.com.
Sincerely,Kraft FoodsKim McMiller
Associate Director, Consumer Relations
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We went for a walk today on the bike path today and there is this one sunken area surrounded by trees and a TON of squirrel holes!!! Ginger especially LOVES to chase, hunt, and check every hole...it's bad enough that I let her off leash for a short minute while she sprints from hole to hole sticking her head as far down as possible! One of these days I figure she'll get her nose bit off but so far so good and thank goodness she's never caught one...I don't need a dog to catch the plague or something from one of them!!!
