A Phoenix food company is the latest to settle a legal dispute over labeling its products as all-natural.
Van’s Natural Foods agreed to change its product labels and pay up to $9 million to settle a court case involving many of its breakfast foods.
The lawsuit alleged that Van's — a subsidiary of Tyson Foods — labeled its frozen waffles, frozen French toast, frozen pancakes and muffins as "All Natural," "Totally Natural" and "Naturally Delicious" despite its use of the synthetic leavening agent sodium acid pyrophosphate.
Tyson said that although it disagreed with the lawsuit and claimed that its use of SAPP was consistent with consumer expectations, "it’s best for us to move forward."
The settlement would pay nearly $2 million in attorneys' fees and compensate consumers who purchased the products in question; individual claims can range from $4.99 to $18.
Final approval of the settlement is expected in September.
