The following is an excerpt from an article published in the WSJ on Wednesday, December $4,2019$ entitled $$As Gum Loses Favor, Additives Get a Tryout,$$ by Annie Gasparro and Saabira Chaudhuri. Read the excerpt and answer the question that follows.

Gum makers are mixing everything from vitamins to candy into their recipes to give customers more incentives to pick up a pack. Chewing gum has lost sales to mints, and consumers have gravitated to other means of burning nervous energy like fidget spinners and smartphones, executives and market research firms say. Some people say they dropped chewing gum because it seems tacky or causes jaw pain. Gum sales dropped $4\%$ globally by volume between $2010$ and $2018$ with sales in the US off $23\%,$ according to Euromonitor. $$Chewing gum is becoming less socially acceptable,$$ Dirk Van de Put, Chief Executive of Mondelez International Inc., owner of Trident and Dentine said in an interview.

Trying to turn things around, Mondelez and other gum makers are coming up with formulas they say convey additional benefits. Trouble sleeping? There$$s a gum for that. Other new chewing gums purport to boost energy, alleviate headaches, and stimulate weight loss. Separately, Mondelez is looking for ways to promote the gums benefits like oral care.

Mondelez, Mars Inc., Hershey, and Perfetti Van Melle Group BV dominate global gum sales. Some of these companies are losing market share as smaller brands gain share by introducing gums meant for more than chewing. Apollo brands LLC is selling Fly Gum which releases caffeine and vitamin B$.$ The Denver startup said its gum helps prevent travelers and pilots combat jet lag. Apollo also sells the same recipe as Golf Gum with the pitch that it helps golfers stay energetic and focused. Los Angeles based NeuroGum makes a caffeine laden brand that touts the same benefits. Snack Less makes a gum containing an extract from hoodia parviflora, a plant that many wellness experts and consumers believe suppresses hunger, though the medical professionals have rebuffed that claim.

Based on the information provided above, which of the following is NOT A TRUE statement?

Group of answer choices

Mints, fidget spinners, and smartphones represent substitutes threatening the industry for chewing gum.

Chewing gum sales are being impacted by changing social norms $($chewing gum is becoming less socially acceptable$),$ a socio$-$cultural macro factor.

The current strategies of large, traditional chewing gum manufacturers, as a whole, appear to be failing as evidenced, primarily, by the loss of market share as compared to smaller brands, but also somewhat by the $4\%$ sales decline in gum sales globally and $23\%$ sales decline in the US over the past $8$ years. Additional data would help confirm this hypothesis.

Chewing gum with enhanced benefits represents the sustainable competitive advantage of Mondelez, Hershey, and other traditional gum manufacturers

Traditional chewing gum manufacturers such as Mondelez, Hershey, etc. are attempting to further differentiate their products by modifying the customer benefits, which could raise switching costs for buyers.