Article: Labels lead to lawsuits for food companies

MINNEAPOLIS - The backlash against the food industry's attempt to boost sales through "Smart Choices" labels is moving into the courts, and it may end only with the imposition of new, uniform nutrition labels on all processed food.

Food companies are backpedaling from the labels they affixed to many products over the last year, labels that promised benefits ranging from lower cholesterol to boosting the immune system.

But their retreat comes too late to prevent litigation. General Mills alone is facing eight separate proposed class actions over the health claims it made for Cheerios and Yoplait yogurt. Meanwhile, the FDA, fresh from warning foodmakers of the shortcomings it saw in the Smart ...

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