Dive Summary:
- Naked Juice Co., which is owned by PepsiCo., will settle a class-action lawsuit over its juice and smoothie labels' "all natural" and non-GMO claims by paying $9 million and altering ingredient descriptions.
- The suit arose over claims from plaintiffs that Naked products contained Fibersol-2 fructooligosaccarides and insulin, as well as genetically modified soy, thus violating laws in California.
- A Naked Juice statement maintained the company's position disputing the plaintiffs claims, but explained that "until there is more detailed regulatory guidance around the word 'natural,' we've chosen not to use 'all natural' to describe our juices and smoothies."
From the article:
... The problem is that the federal government hasn't really defined what a "natural" food ingredient is. According to the Food and Drug Administration's website: "From a food science perspective, it is difficult to define a food product that is 'natural' because the food has probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth. That said, FDA has not developed a definition for use of the term natural or its derivatives. However, the agency has not objected to the use of the term if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances." ...