Center for Science in the Public Interest or CSPI said that a settlement agreement prevents General Mills (GIS) from claiming that its Nature Valley granola bars, crispy squares, and trail mix bars are "100% Natural" if those products contain high-fructose corn syrup, high-maltose corn syrup, dextrose monohydrate, maltodextrin, soy protein isolate, or several other artificially produced ingredients.
The agreement, which is effective immediately and applies to labeling and marketing for 30 Nature Valley products, settles a 2012 lawsuit brought on behalf of consumers by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest and two law firms.
CSPI privately raised its concern with General Mills over its "100% Natural" claims as early as 2005. The company began phasing out its use of high-fructose corn syrup in some products, but at the time of CSPI's lawsuit was still using high-maltose corn syrup and maltodextrin. While those ingredients are derived from corn, they are produced by treating corn starch with acids, enzymes, or both before being refined into a substance that does not occur in nature.
CSPI noted that the agreement helps nudge the marketplace, otherwise awash in varyingly flimsy "natural" claims, in the right direction. That's important, the group says, because regulators at the Food and Drug Administration have mostly remained on the sidelines as companies and industry trade groups squabble over what's natural and what's not.
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