Dive Summary:
- General Mills has agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle a lawsuit alleging they mislead consumers in the advertising of their YoPlus yogurt line.
- The yogurt, advertised as probiotic and good for digestive health, was also advertised as the cheapest yogurt with the best health effects, a claim plaintiff Jeremiah Johnson took to heart.
- Although they agreed to settle, General Mills stands by its campaign and takes nothing back; that said, YoPlus is no longer sold in the U.S..
From the article:
"... The plaintiff, Jeremiah Johnson, alleged that the digestive health claims made by General Mills relating to its YoPlus yogurt were 'false and deceptive.'
'Beginning in or about July 2007, Defendants General Mills, Inc. and Yoplait USA, Inc. (‘General Mills’) undertook a nationwide marketing campaign for the YoPlus yogurt product. General Mills’ advertising distinguished YoPlus as a yogurt that helps naturally regulate ‘digestive health’ in a manner that other commercially available and less expensive yogurts do not,' said the settlement filing. ..."
