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Lawsuit: Frito-Lay's Genetically Modified Ingredients Are Not 'All-Natural'

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 11:31:39 EST

A proposed class-action lawsuit filed in New York alleges that Frito-Lay misled consumers by advertising that their Tostitos and SunChips brands are 'all-natural' when they contain corn and oils from genetically modified plants. The suit seeks to recover damages based on the claim that consumers allegedly choose to pay more for an 'all-natural' product, rather than similar products that were not.
 
The plaintiff, Chris Shake, believes that marketing the products as 'all-natural' is deceptive, because genetically engineered plants have had their genetic material altered artificially in a laboratory—not through natural processes. A similar lawsuit was also filed in California last year.
 
Frito-Lay, owned by PepsiCo Inc., maintains that it has followed all the industry's regulatory requirements.  
 
Genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the food industry have become a controversial topic in recent years, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been petitioned to require food labels to indicate clearly the presence of genetically engineered ingredients.
 
'The food industry is encountering new challenges, and EMSL Analytical is constantly assessing and implementing new technologies and methods to serve our clients better,' states Joy DellAringa, M.S., RM (NRM), CFSP, National Food Microbiology Supervisor at EMSL. 'We offer advanced testing services for food adulteration, GMO, and quality control, and our results are legally defensible.'
 
For more information on EMSL's food testing services, please contact EMSL at (800) 220-3675, email info@emsl.com, or visit www.EMSL.com or www.FoodTestingLab.com.
 
About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical, Inc. is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. We provide analytical services for environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ), industrial hygiene, forensics and materials science, consumer products, food safety, PCR, pharmaceutical, asbestos, lead, and radiological samples. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies. Please see our website for a complete listing of accreditations.