This is the reply from Indian Summer apple juice. It's sad but he is right; the consumers are partly to blame for the stuff in our stores. Consumers are caught in a squeeze, too, but I feel our country does not have U.S. citizens at heart when trade agreements are made. Somehow, it always gets down to politics, doesn't it, no matter how hard we try to steer clear of it.
"Thank you for your email concerning the use of foreign sourced apple concentrate in our products. As a grower owned cooperative, we appreciate the sensitivity of this change to our labels.
Unfortunately, after years of promoting the Made with USA apples, we have found the market place just does not care. 99% of the public and the store chains that sell the juice just want the cheapest price possible. If the Indian Summer brand was to survive, we had no choice but to become more competitive and change our formula to include concentrate.
We understand the concerns with using concentrate from China. However, 90% of the apple concentrate produced in the world comes from China which greatly limits sources of supply. We have been working hard to pin down a reliable and affordable alternative source. Currently we are using concentrate from Washington. When this juice shows up on store shelves you will not see China on the bottle.
I can tell you that the juice we use is 100% apple juice without additives. All purchased concentrate is subject to authenticity testing even if purchased in the USA. If there is any indication of not being pure, we do not buy it. We also only buy from companies that have third party inspections by USA auditors.
We appreciate your past support and concerns. Although the juice is still mostly fresh pressed US apples, we will blend with concentrate as needed to stay competitive."