Unnatural Exposure for PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP)’s Naked Juice

Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) finds itself in the netherworld between “all natural” claims and the issue of GMO labeling. A new line of soup has been targeted by lawyers because it contains GMO corn, and with around 86% of the country’s corn corp having been genetically modified, it’s tough to avoid its use. Unilever plc (ADR) (NYSE:UL)‘s Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream — the poster boys for the all-natural set — have been sued as well because 48 of their 53 ice cream flavors are claimed to be decidedly unnatural as they contain “alkalized cocoa, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, or other ingredients that either don’t exist in nature or that have been chemically modified.”

As part of its settlement, Naked Juice will stop claiming its beverages are “all natural” and non-GMO, though it will be hiring a third-party testing lab to verify its claims that it meets Europe’s stringent threshold of less than 0.9% GMO content per ingredient to allow the non-GMO label.

Allowing the government to determine what is and what isn’t a certain type of food is a slippery slope I’d prefer not letting them start on. Yet if we don’t, food and beverage makers will be left naked and exposed for the trial lawyers who will continue to exploit the vacuum the government’s absence creates.

The article Unnatural Exposure for Pepsi’s Naked Juice originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Rich Duprey owns shares of WhiteWave Foods (NYSE:WWAV). The Motley Fool recommends PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP), Unilever plc (ADR) (NYSE:UL), and Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM). It owns shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP), WhiteWave Foods, and Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM).

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