Bethenny Frankel is speaking out today after it was revealed the Whole Foods supermarket chain yanked her Skinnygirl cocktails off the shelves for not meeting their standards.
According to reports, Whole Foods removed the Skinnygirl drinkline after discovering it wasn’t as natural as it claimed to be due to the use of a preservative known as sodium benzoate. The Skinnygirl margarita claims it uses “all natural ingredients” and “no preservatives.” Whole Foods stated the following in a statement released: Skinnygirl “had been offered in 16 of Whole Foods Market’s 310 stores. After discovering that it contains a preservative that does not meet our quality standards, we have had to stop selling it.”
In a statement released, Bethenny shrugs off the controversy. “Skinnygirl cocktails were created to solve a problem: to create a line of guilt free cocktails allowing women to drink the indulgent drinks they actually want to drink with as few ingredients as possible,” said Bethenny. “I’m not making wheatgrass here. If I could put an agave plant and some limes on a shelf I would. [The Skinnygirl Margarita] is as close to nature as possible, while still being a shelf stable product.”
Beam, the company who purchased the Skinnygirl drinkline from Bethenny for a reported $100 million, also chimed in. “Skinnygirl Margarita contains very low levels of sodium benzoate (a preservative) so it can stay on the shelves,” said a spokesperson for Beam, adding that the preservative is “very common.”
Bethenny also makes it clear this move by Whole Foods will not make a dent in her rapidly growing Skinnygirl empire. “With all due respect to Whole Foods, we were in a dozen of their stores and have decided not to continue in these stores. They represent an infinitesimal fraction of our business. We are, in fact, the fastest growing spirits brand in the US,” her statement continued. “We were bound to piss someone off and everyone loves to try to tear down a success. This is a non-event. I haven’t lost even a wink of sleep.”
In other Bethenny news, she also spoke out on the recent suicide of RHOBH’s Russell Armstrong. In typical Bethenny fashion, she was very blunt in her comments, making it clear she does not feel Bravo is to blame for his death.
“It’s preposterous to blame a TV show for someone’s suicide,” she told USA Today. “When the show started filming, I’d heard he wasn’t so kind to his wife. But I know nothing about them.”
Bethenny goes on to make a valid point when she adds that people who sign on to do reality shows typically know what comes along with it. “People sign very lengthy documents and they know what they’re getting into. Life is stressful. It’s unfair to blame a TV show for something personal,” she added. “I believe that. I really do. If I go through something horrendous, there’s no discussion that Bravo had anything to do with that.”
TELL US – THOUGHTS ON THE LATEST? DO YOU AGREE WITH BETHENNY’S COMMENTS ABOUT REALITY TV NOT BEING TO BLAME FOR THE SUICIDE?
