Katy Perry’s been the subject of a lot of criticism over the years, but in recent months, the accusations have been a bit different–Now, they’re all about apple cider vinegar, which is otherwise known as ACV.
People have been claiming that Perry and her partner, Orlando Bloom, bought “Bragg’s” and are watering down their prized gut health / immune boosting apple cider vinegar to make a profit.
I mean, if you didn’t like Katy Perry already, now you really have a reason not to.
But is this rumor true?
And why would Katy Perry want to buy an organic natural company like Bragg, anyhow, right?
Good questions.
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How Did This Katy Perry / Bragg’s Rumor Start?
Apparently it started with one Tik Tok influencer, but then many others started claiming that Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar (otherwise known as ACV)…
- has a lighter color that it used to
- doesn’t have the “bite” it used to
- has “water” listed on the label
all of which is supposedly evidence that it’s being watered down.
And since Katy Perry apparently recently bought the company, she must be behind this ACV travesty.
“Well, we aren’t ignorant anymore, Katy!” all the Crunchy Moms say….”we’re on to you and we’re going to boycott you and buy our ACV from somewhere else now!”
People are calling for boycotts and asking for more reputable sources of ACV from their followers.
This is repost of an image that you likely saw since it was reposted a LOT.
and another one….this one shows “Purpose Driven Homestead” as the source of the image that was traveling all over the web.
This particular photo seems to have originated by an account called Purpose Driven Homestead on Gab, which states “We noticed that the vinegar wasn’t nearly as potent as it used to be and seemed to almost be like water. “
When I saw this, I was of course shocked and thought I should share this info and photo to keep my followers from being taken advantage of.
I mean, I LOVE my organic “with the mother” ACV. It’s part of lots of DIY Cold Remedies plus it’s in this totally delish Dairy-free Ranch Dressing that we make all the time and this Moroccan Vinaigrette)–and quality means a LOT to me.
Mess with my favorite healthy living products, and I’m not a happy camper.
But something (or rather some things) gave me pause.
Just like years ago when another healthy living influencer wrote about Costco selling rancid coconut oil, I decided to hold off and instead read articles and had multiple conversations with Bragg employees, including their Head of E-Commerce, Jared Muscat.
I learned a lot. But first…
Why Are Big Corporations Buying Small Natural Companies?
First of all, one of the most upsetting things in the natural / organic world these days is finding out that a big corporation bought up one of your trusted natural companies, changed the formulations, and now your beloved products aren’t or might not be so great anymore.
Did you know….
- Nestle bought Garden of Life
- Mars bought Seeds of Change
- Hain Celestial now owns Garden of Eatin’
- General Mills bought Cascadian Farm
- Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s
- Kellogg’s bought Kashi
- Kraft bought Boca Foods
- Coca-Cola bought Odwalla
- Danone Group bought Stonybrook Farms
- Colgate-Palmolive bought Tom’s of Maine
- Pepsi bought Naked Juice
- Hershey’s bought Dagoba Chocolate
- and Clorox now owns Burt’s Bees!!
And there are more where that came from.
I get it. Owners of small businesses get tired trying to run a business and the financial temptation is great. But sadly, often the bigger company doesn’t share the vision of the original owners and you end up with substandard stuff.
I mean, think about it–Clorox?!
So I don’t blame people for being worried about Katy Perry and Bragg, especially after hearing these claim of profiteering.
Apple Cider Vinegar FAQs
Here are a few facts about ACV that will help you to understand this whole situation better.
What Is Apple Cider Vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar (or ACV as it’s affectionately known), is simply fermented apples – either the whole apple or the peel. Just like with kombucha the bacteria eats the sugar and produces acid, the bacteria byproduct of fermenting ACV eats the sugars in the apple and makes acid.
Is Apple Cider Vinegar Good for You? And If So, Why?
Apple cider vinegar is said to have many benefits from lowering blood glucose levels, helping with heart health, oxidative stress, blood lipid markers, to improving gut health, and more. (source, source)
The acetic acid in ACV is said to be part of why it’s good for you, but there’s also beneficial bacteria in raw ACV that’s great for gut health.
What Is the Apple Cider Vinegar “Mother”?
The “mother” as it’s affectionately called by ACV fans, is the bacteria produced as a by product of the fermentation process. It’s this culture of beneficial bacteria that transforms apple cider into vinegar.
There are some who say that the mother is the byproduct of the fermentation, and others say that it drives the fermentation. It’s likely both.
Regardless, if you want unfiltered apple cider vinegar, then get ACV with the “mother.” If the vinegar is cloudy, that’s due to the mother being in there (unless there’s some other something in there, in which case, don’t buy it.)
The Bragg / Katy Perry Connection FAQs
What Is Bragg?
Bragg is a health food company that was started by Paul Bragg, more than 100 years ago.
They’re famous for their organic apple cider vinegar and Liquid Aminos but they have a lot of other health food products as well.
Bragg Company History
- 1912 – Bragg began when Paul Bragg opened the first health food store in the U.S.A.
- 1920s – Paul writes a health book
- 1940s – Paul’s adopted daughter, Patricia, started working with the business.
- 1980s – Patricia becomes CEO
- 2019 – Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom (and others) invest in Bragg
How Did Katy Perry Get Involved with Bragg?
Though Katy Perry doesn’t seem to be a likely candidate for being heavily involved in an apple cider vinegar company, here’s the story behind it.
Katie grew up next door to Patricia Bragg and they went to the same church. Patricia actually gave Katy her first guitar and they’ve remained in contact throughout Katy’s life.
As Patricia gained in years, she thought about Katy getting involved in the company. So they connected about it, and it happened.
Does Katy Perry Own Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar?
In 2019, Katy and her partner, Orlando Bloom, invested in Bragg, along with other investors including Swander Pace Capital, Dragoneer Investor Group, and Hayden Slater, the founder of Pressed Juicery.
Katy and Orlando do not have a controlling interest in the company and in fact, the company doesn’t take direction from her.
So the answer to this question is–“no.”
The apple cider vinegar industry is valued at about $160 million, and Bragg is one company in that industry. It’s hard to know how much Katy has invested in the company, but that gives some perspective.
Does Bragg use Apeel on their apples?
No, they do not. Despite their connection with Katy Perry, who has invested in Apeel, the company’s apples are not coated with Apeel.
In fact, there would be no reason to coat them with it, so it would be a complete waste of money. Apeel is meant to prevent produce from spoiling, and the apples for Bragg’s ACV come direct from the orchard to the plant for processing, so there’s simply no need for it.
Did Braggs Change Their Apple Cider Vinegar?
According to Braggs, the company hasn’t changed anything about their vinegar formulation since the 1960s–it’s been the same ever since.
The apples are washed, crushed, juiced, and then fermented.
During fermenting, the vinegar becomes acidic as the mother continues the fermentation process.
What pH Is Apple Cider Vinegar?
In video below, you’ll see why this information is really important.
Apple cider vinegar is supposed to have a minimum of 4% acidity with some commonly used vinegars permitted to have up to 8% acidity. (source) The acidity is due to the acetic acid in the vinegar.
A 5% acidity ACV corresponds to a pH of approximately 2.4-3.0, which is pretty acidic. You definitely want to dilute it before drinking and at least rinse your mouth with water afterwards.
Or you can put a bit of baking soda in your mouth afterwards and feel the reaction which is the alkalinity of the baking soda preventing your teeth from being damaged by the acid. Woot!
{VIDEO} Proof About Whether Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar Is Being Watered Down–Or Not
While it’s great to do online research and hear explanations from the company about how their ACV is made and what they’ve been apparently doing for decades, I decided to take things a step further.
It’s not a double-blind, placebo controlled study (sorry I didn’t have the funding for that), but I did a pretty scientific test on random bottles of ACV to see if Bragg’s ACV is indeed being watered down.
Here’s what happened….
Important Unrehearsed Live Experiment Details
You can hear about how I obtained the bottles in the video, but a few details I didn’t mention are—I didn’t do that experiment until what you saw on that video.
Why?
The ACV was expensive!
The first bottle was on sale, but my husband dropped one in the garage, so he went to another store (and then I went there as well to have another one to test) and we spent WAY too much on the other 2 bottles.
No way was I going to test them and then buy more.
So what you see in that video is an unrehearsed test (kind of obvious by the fact that I couldn’t get the top off the bottle, LOL!)
Why Are Some Bottles of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar Lighter Than Others?
Apple cider vinegar varies in color based on the apple variety being used. There are 2500 types of apples grown and each type lead to a slightly different color of ACV.
The color can also vary based on how long the ACV has been stored. If the bottle hasn’t been shaken or moved for awhile, that bottle can look lighter than one that hasn’t been sitting as long. But the most variation will be due to the difference between the apple varieties.
Why Is There Water On Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar Labels?
As you can see from this photo (and how Dr. Berg pointed out in his video), there is water on the label of Bragg’s ACV.
So if it’s not being watered down for a profit, then WHY is water listed on the label?
The reason is–standardization.
The Bragg company has been making sure that every serving of their ACV has 750 mg of acetic acid in it for a long time.
It’s not some new thing that Katy and Orlando started.
So though some (including Dr. Berg of YouTube fame–and to be clear, I really like him), claim that Bragg’s ACV is being watered down, a better way to state it is that it’s been standardized.
If water wasn’t added, you could have 5.2%, 5.4%, or even more than 6% acidity.
I understand why some people would rather straight ACV, but some would rather standardized. It’s all a matter of choice.
Do Other Brands of Apple Cider Vinegar Add Water to Their ACV?
So there’s not only water on Bragg’s ACV labels, but there’s water on a LOT of other apple cider vinegar labels too.
Check out the labels of these other brands of organic ACV, ALL of which have WATER on the label:
Lucy’s Organic ACV
AVO Organic ACV
Dynamic Health Organic ACV
It turns out that almost every apple cider vinegar on the market dilutes it’s product to 5% acidity for various reasons.
Why Is 5% Acidity Important?
It’s not that apple cider vinegar that has some other concentration or strength isn’t OK, but it is important to know what you have because of the following…
- to have the same amount of acetic acid in each serving, so you know what you’re getting
- since some recipes count on a certain level of acidity to work their best
- it’s an acidity level people expect from apple cider vinegar. It’s possible that someone could damage their esophagus or skin if they are used to using ACV for a certain purpose and use a much stronger product instead. A 6% acidity ACV is 20% stronger than 5% acidity. That’s pretty strong! Did you know that cleaning vinegar is actually 6% acidity and is MUCH better for cleaning than regular white vinegar. 20% is a huge change. You 100% do not want to be drinking straight 6% ACV. No way.
What Apple Cider Vinegars Are NOT Diluted?
Here are a few brands that are not diluted / standardized:
There are likely more, but I couldn’t find them. If you know of one, please let me know!
Am I Endorsing Bragg?
Since I published this post, a few people have commented on social media basically seeming to think that I’m endorsing Bragg or Perry.
Just to be clear, I took no money or product from Bragg to do this post. I reached out on my own to find out what was going on.
I paid quite a bit for the apple cider vinegar and spent hours (and hours) writing and researching and filming.
You may or may not be a Katy Perry fan (I personally think some of her music is fun, but I’m not at all a big fan, if you know what I mean) but false accusations are not OK. I’m an equal opportunity critic and personally I think the world could use more of that.
I think Bragg’s is a good product (now that I know it’s not diluted!) There are also other great raw unfiltered apple cider vinegars with the mother out there.
The moral of the story? You can’t believe everything you see on the internet.
Got something else you’d like me to investigate? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see what I can do.
