Buyer Beware

I've been taken! Do you ever get frustrated by the packaging of foods in the grocery store that give the illusion of healthy offerings only to find when you look more closely (after you've purchased) to find it isn't quite what you thought? That happened to me and I'm berating myself because I should know better.
I had two challenges at the grocery store yesterday.
First, at Costco I found a new product called "Dark Chocolate Pomegranate". The packaging has beautiful, fresh pomegranate seeds bursting out of their peel and dark chocolate beads. So enticing to the eye and it appears to be a wonderful treat, even for a health conscious person (in moderation of course). I was so caught up in the moment, I forgot to check a couple things on the nutritional label.
When I got home, I opened the package and popped one in my mouth. Mmmm...different than I expected. Sweeter, chewier. I figured it would be a dried pomegranate (the fresh ones would go bad and need to be kept refrigerated) and the treat had a chocolate raisin taste and texture only more sour which actually makes it taste great. I noticied after more careful examination that the dark chocolate percentage wasn't listed anywhere on the package. Strange. It's dark looking, but it doesn't taste dark to me at all.
It was Sheri that made the most startling discovery of all. How could I have missed this?! NO POMEGRANATE! What? Sure enough the filling is actually actually a little jelly made from fruit juices, corn syrup, and sugar. I feel lied to and I want to march right back to Costco to return it and give them a piece of my mind, but I won't. They really taste great and even though I won't eat any more of them, my family is not so discriminating. I'm just mad because I was going to use that $10 to buy a natural fruit snack and I made a dumb mistake that lots of people make every day. I bought without investigating the claims.
Fortunately I was a little sharper at the Superstore when I was looking for "Organic Dark Cocoa Powder". First I was directed to a can that read "Organic Cocoa" but it didn't say "dark" so I asked for help again. This time I was directed to a can that read "Organic Dark Hot Chocolate" and it sounded right, but I was smart enough this time to turn the cans over and make a direct comparison. Oh, yes, the hot chocolate mix was organic and dark but it was definitely not what I was looking for. I wanted dark cocoa powder and the two products are vastly different in the sugar content department. I ended up leaving both behind. I have non-organic, regular cocoa at home and until I find the real deal--I'll just stick with that.
So, my dear readers, take advantage of my research and blunders because food producers and marketers always have an eye on the latest health trends and will make pleasing products that appear to fit into that category. It is our job to read nutritional labels and make intelligent, informed decisions based on facts--not emotions and great packaging!