skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, November 22, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump suffers first defeat but as always doubles down for the next fight; From Ohio to Azerbaijan: How COP29 could shape local farming; Funding boosts 'green' projects in Meadville, PA; VA apprenticeships bridge skills gaps, offer career stability.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump has a new pick for Attorney General, his incoming "border czar" warns local Democratic officials not to impede mass deportation, and the House passes legislation that could target any nonprofit group accused of supporting terrorism.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

Lawsuit: Welch’s Fruit Snacks “No More Healthful Than Candy”

play audio
Play

Monday, October 12, 2015   

NEW YORK - Does a fruit snack have to contain actual fruit if its packaging indicates it does? That's the question at the center of a federal court case in New York brought by parents suing Welch Foods, the maker of Welch's Fruit Snacks.

They say the snacks are "no more healthful than candy." The suit says the parents bought the snacks as a healthy option for their children based on the labeling, but found the product contains only a minimal amount of fruit and is mostly made of corn syrup and sugar.

Marie Bragg, assistant professor with NYU's Global Institute of Public Health, says federal regulations give advertisers a lot of leeway when it comes to food labeling.

"There's mixed evidence on whether or not turning fruit puree or fruit juice into snacks is healthy for you or not," says Bragg. "Companies sometimes try to convince consumers that because it's got fruit juice its healthy but that's not necessarily true."

The licensed manufacturer of the fruit snacks, Promotion in Motion, says it stands by the packaging and says the first ingredient of any Welch's Fruit Snack is fruit, whether in the form of juice or puree.

Promotion in Motion says the snacks meet Food and Drug Administration regulations. But federal guidelines stipulate a company cannot use the common name of a food, such as fruit or vegetable, if that's not what the product is, unless the percentage of the food is displayed on the packaging, which it is not on Welch's Fruit Snacks.

Hunter College professor Charles Platkin says this could be a tricky legal area for Welch's.

"Anytime you're marketing to children, a vulnerable population, it increases the level at which the food companies responsibility lands," says Platkin. "So, yes Welch's has vulnerability as do other food companies that market to children."

Promotion in Motion calls the claims in the lawsuit against Welch's Fruit Snacks "false and misleading" and maintains that fruit, whether in the form of puree or juice, is always the first ingredient. The company insists the labeling is truthful and gives consumers the information they need to make informed decisions.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Use caulk, spray foam and weather stripping to keep more heat inside the home. (Rawpixel.com/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

La Niña is bringing a cooler, wetter winter to Oregon and likely driving up heating bills as systems work harder. This is the third year of …


Environment

play sound

The number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed on roadways in the U.S. has nearly doubled in the past 12 years and a New Mexico researcher wants to …

Environment

play sound

Minnesota's solar energy outlook took a big step forward this week with a new project coming online, bringing the conversation back into focus about …


Minnesota's foster care entry rate has declined in recent years, along with efforts to bolster the state's adoption policies. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

CLARIFICATION: We updated language to clarify the timing for when the study's authors began tracking certain outcome measures for children within the …

Social Issues

play sound

House lawmakers have passed a bill advocates said will be harmful to nonprofits in New York and nationwide. House Resolution 9495 passed with a 219-1…

Research shows in the United States and globally, alcohol consumption is a major cause of preventable death and disability and increases liver disease, mental health disorders and accidents. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A recent study from Florida Atlantic University highlights a concerning rise in alcohol-related deaths across the United States, with mortality rates …

Environment

play sound

By Dawn Attride for Sentient.Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi for Ohio News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration …

Social Issues

play sound

Ten years ago today, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot by Cleveland police while holding a toy gun, sparking national protests for police reform…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021