These days, more and more consumers are watching the nutritional value of their food. They are concerned with avoiding additives and preservatives, reducing food allergens, and eating organic. This push towards a healthy lifestyle is a wonderful trend for America whose obesity rate has hit epidemic proportions. Yet this healthy market trend has tempted many advertisers and food manufacturers to use misleading and deceptive food labels in order to increase profits and sell their products.

Both state and federal laws try to protect consumers by enforcing strict rules and regulations regarding food labeling. After all, consumers rely on these labels to ensure their safety and companies rely on these rules to ensure a fair market.

The Fair Packaging and Label Act (FPLA) was enacted so consumers could obtain accurate information regarding the quantity and quality of products they purchase. The FPLA requires that products must clearly identify what type of product it is, the name and location of the manufacturer, and the net quantity of the product’s contents. If deceptive food labeling caused your illness, Golomb & Honik, P.C. may be able to help. Call (215) 278-4449 to learn more.

Misleading "Natural" Food Labels

There are numerous ways companies and corporations falsify food labels in order to manipulate consumers into buying their product. They may claim their product is healthier than it is or mislead the public into believing that it is “all natural”. For consumers with food allergens, such as a peanut allergy or a gluten allergy, an inaccurate food label is not just inconvenient, it is life-threatening. Other types of deceptive food labeling include:

• Misleading “All Natural” Food Labels
• Deceptive “Preservative Free” Food Labels
• False Health Claims
• Misleading Green Advertising
• Misleading Product Labels
• False “Raised without Antibiotics” claims
• False “Grass Fed” claims
• False “Free Range or Cage Free” claims
• False food allergy claims
• Failure to accurately record weight of product
• And more

Misleading "Organic" Food Labels

The Organic Foods Production Act was passed in 1990 as a way of establishing national standards for the marketing of organic products. The OFPA offers clear guidelines and standards for growing, producing, and marketing organic products. If a company or manufacturer uses these organic labels incorrectly or in the wrong context, it is against the law and misleading to consumers.

A product may only be labeled as “organic” if it meets certain criteria set by the National Organic Program. If an agricultural product is completely organic, they are allowed to advertise themselves as 100% organic. If a product contains at least 95% of organic materials, they receive the “organic” label. When a product is made with at least 70% organic ingredients, they are only allowed to advertise as “made with organic ingredients.”