Unilever PLC (UL) subsidiary Ben & Jerry's, the Vermont ice
cream brand known for humorously named flavors and environmentally
and socially responsible behavior, agreed Monday to phase out its
use of "all natural" claims on ice cream and frozen yogurt that
contain processed or artificial ingredients, the Washington Post
reports online.
The move comes a month after the Center for Science in the
Public Interest, a public health watchdog group, sent a letter to
Unilever that identified nearly 50 products that it claimed were
improperly labeled. They contained cocoa processed with alkali,
which cuts acidity, and nutrition-boosting flavanols. Others
included malodextrin, a sweetener produced from corn starch, and
corn syrup.
"We are confident that Ben & Jerry's products are 'All
Natural' as reasonable consumers would understand that term.
However we don't want there to be any questions," Jostein Solheim,
the company's chief executive, wrote in a letter to the group.
Ben & Jerry's isn't barred from describing products as
"all-natural," as the Food and Drug Administration doesn't have a
definition for the term. A spokeswoman told the Post that the
regulatory agency doesn't object to the term on food labels as long
as it is used in a manner that is truthful and not misleading and
the product doesn't contain added color, artificial flavors or
synthetic substances.
Full story at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/27/AR2010092704053.html
-Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2900