Ben & Jerry's Bows to "All Natural" Pressure

POM Wonderful wasn't the only edible brand that got caught in the crosshairs of the health claims wars today.

Ben & Jerry's is removing the phrase "All Natural" from its packaging as a result of a request from a health advocacy group.

The Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest announced that the Vermont-based ice cream-maker, which is owned by Unilever, has agreed to remove the words “All Natural” from all its ice creams and frozen yogurts "that contain alkalized cocoa, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, or other ingredients that aren’t natural."

The move "amicably" resolves a dispute arising from a letter that the Center for Science in the Public Interest sent last month to Unilever. The letter said that at least 48 Ben & Jerry's products were "improperly labeled."

Ben & Jerry's responded to an inquiry from AP it won't change any recipes, but will remove the disputed phrase gradually from all packaging.

One major point of contention: the FDA "has no formal definition for 'natural.'" The CSPI hopes the government will define the term.

"The Food and Drug Administration could do consumers and food manufacturers a great service by actually defining when the word 'natural' can and cannot be used to characterize a given ingredient," CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson said in a statement.

Its press release added:

When it criticized Ben & Jerry’s misleading use of the word “natural,” CSPI said that none of the questionable ingredients the company used was unsafe (even the tiny amount of partially hydrogenated oil used in the Chubby Hubby flavor is harmless). CSPI also noted, though, that plenty of ingredients that really are “natural” are still bad for your health, such as the artery-clogging cream that is the main ingredient in Ben & Jerry’s ice creams.