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.
