POM Wonderful facts for kids
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| Privately held company | |
| Industry | Foods |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder | Stewart and Lynda Rae Resnick |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, United States |
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Key people
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Derrick Miller (President) |
| Products | Fruit juices, tea, fresh pomegranate arils |
| Parent | The Wonderful Company |
POM Wonderful is a company that sells tasty pomegranate juices, tiny fruit seeds called arils, and teas. It started in 2002. The company was created by Stewart and Lynda Rae Resnick. POM Wonderful is part of a bigger company called The Wonderful Company, which owns many food brands.
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Products from POM Wonderful
The company's main product is pomegranate juice. It comes in a special "double-bulb" bottle. The name "POM" is written in big letters on the bottle. The letter O looks like a heart symbol.
POM Wonderful also makes mixed juices. These juices combine pomegranate with blueberry, cranberry, cherry, mango, or tangerine. They also sell bottled tea and fresh pomegranate arils. In 2017, POM Wonderful bought another company called Ruby Fresh. Ruby Fresh also sells pomegranates.
The Wonderful Pomegranate Fruit
The name "POM Wonderful" comes from a special type of pomegranate. This type is called "Wonderful." These pomegranates grow in central and southern San Joaquin Valley in California.
The "Wonderful" pomegranate is the most popular type grown in California. It is great for making juice. This is because its seeds are soft, it has lots of water, and it tastes a bit like wine. POM Wonderful uses fruit from its own farms. They also get fruit from other farms in the same area. The company has its own special way to get juice from the pomegranates.
Legal Challenges
Sometimes, companies face legal challenges. POM Wonderful has been involved in a few.
Rules for Advertising Health Claims
In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a letter to POM Wonderful. The FDA said that POM Wonderful was advertising its juice as if it were a medicine. For example, POM said its juice was "full of antioxidants called phytochemicals." They also claimed it had "uniquely high levels of powerful antioxidants."
The FDA explained that if a food product claims to treat or prevent diseases, it must go through a strict process. This process is usually for medicines. The FDA also said that just saying "antioxidants" or "phytochemicals" was not clear enough for food labels. This is because the health benefits of these things in pomegranate juice were not fully proven for people.
Later in 2010, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also took action. The FTC said POM Wonderful made "false and unsubstantiated claims." They claimed their products could prevent or treat heart disease, prostate cancer, and certain male health problems.
POM Wonderful said that all their statements were true. They also said they believed in honest advertising. They wanted to work with the FTC to solve the issue.
In 2012, a judge ruled that some of the company's claims were misleading. The judge ordered POM Wonderful to stop making those claims for 20 years. The judge said there was not enough strong scientific proof for claims about treating or preventing certain health issues. The judge also said that POM Wonderful could not make claims about health benefits unless they were true and not misleading.
In 2015, a U.S. court supported most of the FTC's order. The court said many of POM's ads did not correctly show the scientific evidence. In 2016, the FTC and a federal court decided that POM could not make health claims in its ads. The U.S. Supreme Court did not agree to review POM's appeal. This meant the court's decision stood.
The head of the FTC, Edith Ramirez, said she was happy with the outcome. She stated that companies making serious health claims about food must have strong scientific proof. This helps consumers trust what they buy.
Lawsuit Against Minute Maid
From 2008 to 2014, POM Wonderful sued The Coca-Cola Company. The lawsuit was about a Minute Maid product. It was called "Minute Maid Pomegranate Blueberry Flavored Blend of five juices." POM Wonderful said the name was misleading. This is because the drink had only 0.3% pomegranate juice. It had 99.4% apple juice.
The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In June 2014, the Supreme Court decided that POM Wonderful could sue Coca-Cola for false advertising. The court said that companies can challenge food labels that are regulated by other laws. Legal experts thought the case would continue for several more years. They needed to figure out how much money POM Wonderful lost because of the Minute Maid product.
POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
POM Wonderful, its products, and its owner Lynda Resnick were part of a movie. This movie came out in 2011. It was a documentary about how companies place their products in movies and TV shows. This is called "product placement." The film was titled POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. POM Wonderful agreed to pay one million dollars to have its name featured in the movie's title.
