How to spot the most common fake foods

Pomegranate juice

This one is almost a no-brainer: certain juices will contain dyes in them. The one under the most fire is Red 40, a dye that was linked to childhood ADHD (the link was later disputed by the FDA); another one, Yellow 6, was found in several brands of orange juice in one study. The CSPI points out that these bright colors in juice can often mask what’s really in your drink — so you might think you’re drinking a berry juice that’s really just bright red because of the dye. Of course, that doesn’t mean natural colorings are that much better for you. Take the Starbucks debacle when it was found to be using cochineal coloring for its Strawberry Frappuccinos — beetles may be natural, but we don’t want them in our juice. And as some point out, using additives like beet concentrate or carrot concentrate for color can cause big problems for those with food allergies, so it’s best to read those ingredient labels carefully.