Our second yogurt post this week, with good news for consumers. Dannon, which has been aggressively marketing its Activia line of yogurts, will stop making unsubstantiated health claims effective immediately. This, according to a $21M settlement with the FTC:
The Dannon Company, Inc. has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges of deceptive advertising and drop claims that allegedly exaggerated the health benefits of its Activia yogurt and DanActive dairy drink. These two popular Dannon products contain beneficial bacteria known as probiotics. Dannon will stop claiming that one daily serving of Activia relieves irregularity, and that DanActive helps people avoid catching colds or the flu. read more…
What you need to know:
The food industry is very competitive and manufacturers are fighting it out to gain market share. Creative brand managers stretch the truth as far as they can when it comes to interpreting scientific research into tasty sound bites for the health conscious consumer.
Thankfully, the FTC has put an end to this particular fiasco.
Unfortunately, many companies are still getting away with misleading claims and advertisements. There are just too many for the regulator to go after.
What to do at the supermarket:
Best to ignore any and all marketing claims disguised as science. Read the nutrition facts panel and the ingredient list.
If wandering down the supermarket aisle you spot something fishy, please let us know – we’ll post it on this blog to help warn everyone else.
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