WASHINGTON—Ben & Jerry’s will begin phasing out its use of “all natural" claims on labels on ice creams and frozen yogurts containing alkalized cocoa, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, or other ingredients that aren’t natural, according to a new release from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
The agreement resolves a dispute arising from a letter that CSPI sent last month to Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, claiming at least 48 of Ben & Jerry’s products were improperly labeled with the term all natural.
USDA allows products be labeled “natural" if they do not include artificial colors or ingredients, or are not more than “minimally processed." However, FDA has no such definition.
“Ben & Jerry’s is doing the right thing by taking the phrase ‘all natural’ off its labels if the products have factory-made ingredients," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could do consumers and food manufacturers a great service by actually defining when the word ‘natural’ can and cannot be used to characterize a given ingredient."
CSPI noted that none of the questionable ingredients Ben & Jerry’s used was unsafe.
