Michelle Obama's juice brand fails her own health standards, experts reveal

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Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s touted health drink Plezi would fail the health standards set by the Obama administration, a new Bloomberg report found.

After discussing with 12 independent health professionals and organizations, the news organization found that Plezi’s current flavors released earlier this month would not meet the requirements to be served at elementary and middle schools.

"Under the Obama-era school-meal regulations currently under review, US elementary and middle schools may only serve water, milk, or 100% fruit or vegetable juice with no added sweeteners (the regulations do permit schools to dilute juices with water) — and none of Plezi’s four current flavors meet these criteria," the article read.

According to experts, there was concern over the "non-nutritive sweeteners" in the drink such as stevia leaf and monk-fruit extracts that could still be considered unhealthy. The World Health Organization previously published its own report on Monday advising against the use of sweeteners like stevia to control body weight. 

Former first lady Michelle Obama has pushed many health guidelines to combat childhood obesity. (Photo Bank via Getty Images)

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Nutrition experts were more critical of the former first lady for promoting a brand that may ultimately be a less healthy option.

"She has been ill-served by advisers who convinced her to start by targeting 6- to 12-year-olds with a flashy, ultra-processed beverage that may not be any healthier than diet soda." Jerold Mande, a nutrition professor told Bloomberg.

Center for Science in the Public Interest nutrition director Bonnie Liebman added, "Kids are also better off getting the intact fiber in fruit, rather than the processed fiber added to Plezi. It’s not clear that the soluble fiber would make kids feel full, and it’s unlikely to prevent constipation, but it certainly can’t hurt."

Plezi’s CEO Leah Dunmore, however, continued to defend the brand against these criticisms in an email response.

"[To] label Plezi an ‘ultra-processed food,’ is at best cynical if not intellectually dishonest," she insisted. 

While most of the health experts conceded that Plezi could be considered a healthier and less sugar-filled choice than regular soda, they cautioned that it still contained a significant amount of sweeteners.

Health experts remarked that Plezi, though healthier than regular soda, would still be considered an "ultra-processed" beverage. (iStock)

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"[Low]-calorie sweetened drinks can be a reasonable alternative on occasion, keeping in mind that water and milk are the healthiest choices," a spokesperson for the American Heart Association commented.

Michelle Obama frequently pushed initiatives to combat childhood obesity during her husband’s time in the White House. However, the health guidelines pushed by the administration had mixed results with some schools calling them too restrictive and costly. 

Calley Means, a former consultant for Atlanta-based Coca-Cola previously told Fox News that he was "sick to [his] stomach" witnessing the former first lady promote an unhealthy beverage for children.

Schools have criticized Michelle Obama's health standards as too restrictive. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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"As a parent, I am begging Michelle Obama -- this might not fund the new house in Martha's Vineyard, but please, for the sake of children, speak clearly: Kids should not be eating sugar and not be drinking sugar," Means said.

Plezi didn't respond to a request for comment.