Your favourite cereal brand Kellogg Company has agreed to stop using terms such as "All Natural" and "100% Natural" on some of its Kashi and Bear Naked brand product labels and pay around $5 million to settle a class-action consumer fraud lawsuit. The settlement by the world's No. 1 maker of breakfast cereal marks the latest such outcome in a recent wave of litigation challenging nutrition claims in food labeling. Under the proposed settlement, Kellogg will drop the terms "All Natural" and "Nothing Artificial" from labeling and advertising for Kashi products containing certain ingredients challenged in the litigation.

 

Similarly, the terms "100% Natural" and "100% Pure and Natural" will be removed from certain products. Several lawsuits merged into a single case in 2011 accused Kellogg of deceiving consumers by labeling products as "All Natural" when they contained ingredients such as pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium pantothenate or hexane-processed soy oil. Food labeling litigation is becoming more prevalent as health-conscious consumers demand greater accuracy in packaging and advertising. Kellogg's resolution of this case is part of a trend and a number of companies have altered wording on their products in the face of similar litigation.