POM Wonderful's Secret Plan for Immortality

The folks at the POM Wonderful booth admit that drinking their pomegranate juice will not let you live forever -- but they have to think about it first. A few weeks after an advertising campaign centered on their 100% juice allowing you to “Cheat Death” was banned in the U.K., POM’s Jeff Garcia is more focused than ever on the positive health benefits of the fruit’s polyphenal antioxidants.

“We’re taking the power of those natural antioxidants and offering them in different forms,” Garcia said. That's thanks to POMx, the compound of extracted pomegranate antioxidants offered in pill form, which the company adds to some of its tea blends and now combines with its caffeinated energy drinks.

We tried a sip of both the chocolate and coffee-flavored energy drinks (available nationally in June). Iced coffee with more kick than a lot of energy drinks, plus the healthy aura of pomegranate juice? Yes please. But Garcia recognizes that energy drinks and natural juices aren’t everyone’s cup of POM tea, and points to the varied and delicious dishes restaurants are preparing with POM's fruits and juices. Sorbets, smoothies, sauces and glazes, cocktails, salads -- Garcia has a recipe for everything, including the pomegranate flowers decorating their booth.

“The fact is that America is becoming a more health-conscious place and people are learning about alternatives that are better for you,” says Garcia. He said POM Wonderful seeks to offer those alternatives not just in the company's products but also by focusing on the sustainability of their business practices and spending nearly $30 million on medical research.

While we can’t definitively tell you whether or not POM juice will let you live forever or not, an 8-ounce bottle of the company's iced coffee energy drink from Booth #3386 on Monday morning will definitely give you that Energizer bunny feeling for day three on the NRA show floor.