Posted June 5, 2014
Kashi and Bear Naked have agreed to stop using the term “all-natural” to describe their products, according to an article on Lexis Nexis By Stefanie Jill Fogel and Mary B. Langowski available here. The New York Times also published an article available here, USA Today here, and Huffington Post here.
Kashi, a subsidiary of Kellogg, has stopped using the term “all-natural” after a wave of civil litigation. Kashi agreed to pay $5 million to settle a false-advertising class action in a settlement filed May 2 in the U.S. District Court for California.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit said the company used the term on products that contained ingredients such as pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium pantothenate, and soy oil processed using hexane, which is a component of gasoline, according to The New York Times.
Ingredients such as wheat germ and flaxseed occur naturally and are sources of pyridoxine hydrochloride, but some companies often use synthetic versions to control costs and supplies.
“We stand behind our advertising and labeling practices,” Kris Charles, a Kellogg spokeswoman, said in a statement. “We will comply with the terms of the settlement agreement by the end of the year and will continue to ensure our foods meet our high quality and nutrition standards while delivering the great taste people expect.”
The FDA has not yet developed a definition for the term “natural,” stating it is difficult to define the term, because most food products have been processed and are “no longer a product of the earth.” They have not stated whether using added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances with the term is acceptable, according to USA Today.
The terms “100% natural” and “100% Pure and Natural” will be removed from Bear Naked products, according to Huffington Post.
Charles said in statement the two brands “will make a decision to change our formulas on our labels by the end of year.” Charles also stated “we stand behind our advertising and labeling practices.”
For more information on food labeling, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
Share: