Product Labels for Snack Foods Under Fire in California
This entry was posted on October 01, 2013.

Snack Maker Accused of Misinformation on Product Labels
Late July Snacks has been accused of violating state and federal laws in California by failing to provide accurate ingredient information on product stickers. The class-action lawsuit plaintiffs, residents Mary Swearingen and Robert Figy, claim the custom product labels on a variety of Late July products, including juice, crackers and chips, contain "evaporated cane juice." They state the term is banned from ingredients lists by the Food and Drug Administration and state legislation.
Swearingen and Figy contend that federal and state law require food manufacturers to use more specific terms that explain what type of sweetener is used in products.
Plaintiffs Claim Late July Misrepresents Ingredients in Labels on Food Products The California residents bringing the charges against Late July state that regardless of whether the company uses sugar or dried sugar cane syrup, it must include this information in its labels on food products. The complaint filed by the duo states sweeteners derived from sugar cane syrup aren't juice and shouldn't factor into the juice percentage on the front of beverage packaging.
"This illegal label is used to increase sales and to charge a premium by making a product seem healthier than it is in reality," the complaint said, according to Law360.