No Sugar High for The WhiteWave Foods Co (WWAV)

Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM) got hit with a suit over the former because its “natural” private-label soda contained caramel flavoring, citric acid, and carbon dioxide. The FDA hasn’t yet defined terms like “natural,” so all it takes is one lawyer pushing his grocery cart down the supermarket aisle to find a list of possible deep-pocket defendants. Typically, they contend that “natural” labeling is misleading, especially when the products contain citric acid or high-fructose corn syrup, or have undergone some sort of processing to get them deemed “synthetic” by the sue-happy set.

Yet that wasn’t the case with The WhiteWave Foods Co (NYSE:WWAV), which tried to mask the fact that it contained something it didn’t — or didn’t have something it did — contrary to specific FDA guidance.

Sugar has become a profitable addiction in the U.S., but when you’re a dairy producer touting the healthy benefits of your products, labeling your ingredients honestly is always the best policy.

The article No Sugar High for WhiteWave Foods originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Rich Duprey.

Fool contributor Rich Duprey owns shares of WhiteWave Foods. The Motley Fool recommends Whole Foods Market and owns shares of WhiteWave Foods and Whole Foods Market.

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