The Natural Illusion - Consumer trust on trial

The word "natural" shows up everywhere, from juice boxes to supplement labels.  What does it really mean, though?  In this second episode on labels, we explore how consumers, companies, and the courts have wrestled with the slippery term.  From multi-million dollar lawsuits to FDA indecision, we'll uncover how a single word reshaped marketing and consumer trust.  

References:

https://www.fox13news.com/news/all-natural-simply-tropical-juice-forever-chemicals-pfas-lawsuit

https://www.law.uw.edu/news-events/news/2023/class-action-lawsuits#:~:text=Class%20action%20lawsuits%20are%20a,with%20its%20share%20of%20difficulties

https://charlestonlaw.libguides.com/c.php?g=1255231&p=9195720

https://tribecalawsuitloans.com/average-class-action-settlement/

https://www.txattorneys.com/faqs/what-percentage-do-class-action-lawyers-take/

https://www.courthousenews.com/snapple-drinks-arent-all-natural-class-claims/#:~:text=Courthouse%20News%20Staff%20/%20March%205,Categories%20/%20Uncategorized

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-choices-health/consumer-information-and-labeling/background#:~:text=The%201990%20Nutrition%20Labeling%20and,revised%20NFL%20by%20January%202021.

https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc

https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/enforcement-policy-statement-food-advertising

https://www.fda.gov/food/information-select-dietary-supplement-ingredients-and-other-substances/dmaa-products-marketed-dietary-supplements

https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/addressing-challenges-pfas-protecting-groundwater-and-treating-contaminated-sources

https://www.whitecase.com/insight-alert/epa-partially-rolls-back-pfas-drinking-water-rule

Chapters

• 1:01 What really is natural, like for real?
• 3:40 What is a class action and how is it related to natural claims?
• 5:58 How has natural been defined in the courts? HFCS and Snapple
• 10:05 More lawsuits around natural products, processing and synthetics
• 13:24 The cases against juice companies for PFAS
• 15:58 Liza's rant about government regulations and corporate responsibility
• 17:52 Has the FDA defined "natural" yet? What has been the impact of these class actions?
• 22:51 What processing steps make things not natural? Do natural bodily processes done outside the body make them unnatural?
• 26:53 Recap and why do people still use the term natural?
• 28:52 The beginning of how to read a label better