Labeling inaccuracies can go deeper than a mistake made on food labels or a purposeful attempt to downplay a bad reputation, at least if a recent high-profile development is to be believed. While non-profit watchdog organizations are generally a source of checks and balances against major companies, one case is arguing a possible collusion between two very different organizations.
ABC News reports that the American Heart Association appears to have conflicting information regarding the amount of recommended dosages of sodium per day on its website. In particular, the well known Campbell Soup Company is said to have paid the group in exchange for a “Heart Check” label that makes its soups appear to contain lower levels of this additive than they actually do.
Cans of soup with a seal of approval from the AHA are meant to indicate that these products have “low sodium,” but the recent findings seem to contradict the data provided by the organization. The plaintiff in the suit, a California woman named Kerry O’Shea, alleges that this was a deliberate problem, according to the text of the suit.
“None of Campbell’s AHA-certified products meet the AHA’s own noncommercial dietary and nutrition standards because those products’ sodium levels – 410 milligrams per serving, or between 820 and 1,025 milligrams per unit – far exceed the AHA’s (and the FDA’s) low-sodium threshold of 140 milligrams of sodium per serving,” the suit reads.
Food labels should be consistent and fairly acquired, or else the subsequent damage to a company’s public reputation could be significant. Your business can thus spend more time and resources in enhancing this aspect of production if you wish to avoid such injury.
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