General Mills has been sued by three non-profit organizations, alleging false labeling on its Nature Valley granola products.
The company’s snack bars are claimed to be made from “100% natural whole grain oats.”
But the lawsuit alleges that the bars contain small quantities of the pesticide glyphosate, which was announced as “probably carcinogenic” by the World Health Organization, FoxNews reported.
The lawsuit filed in District Courts in New York, California, and Minnesota, said that the “natural” claim is deceptive.
Though the level of the pesticide at 0.45 parts per million (PPM) is well below a maximum of 30 PPM recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency, the lawsuit said that it is still higher than should be permitted.
General Mills brand media relations manager Mike Siemienas was quoted by FoodBusinessNews as saying: “We stand behind our products and the accuracy of our labels.”
The lawsuit has been jointly filed by The Organic Consumers Association, Moms Across America and Beyond Pesticides with Richman Law Group.
Moms Across America founder and executive director Zen Honeycutt said: “As a mother, when I read ‘100% natural,’ I would expect that to mean no synthetic or toxic chemicals at all.”
The Nature Valley products sued for false claims include Crunchy granola bars, Trail Mix chewy granola bars, Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars, Breakfast Biscuits, Oatmeal Squares, Oatmeal Bars and Oatmeal Bistro.
The lawsuit is seeking an “injunction” to stop the allegedly false marketing and sale of the Nature Valley products and a court-ordered corrective advertising campaign.
