The California Raisin Marketing Board is waging war on Craisins. Apparently the dried cranberries, marketed by Ocean Spray, are cutting into raisin sales. The 'Lets Keep it Real' campaign alleges that Craisins are less healthy, featuring moms who are shocked to learn how much sugar is in Craisins. They don't mention the fact that raisins contain nearly the same amount of sugar. If you really want to compare the details, you can get the complete nutrition facts from the USDA. Overall, raisins appear to be a little more nutritious. Craisins, however, can boast that they have more fiber, less sodium, slightly more niacin and vitamin K, and a lot more vitamin E. Being from Wisconsin, where most of the U.S. cranberry crop is grown, I feel some sense of duty to defend cranberries. I would suggest that rather than negative campaigning, the California Raisin Marketing Board should reintroduce the California Raisin commercials of the 1980s.
