A marketing company that bills itself as a “champion of authentic green marketing” and crusades against product “greenwashing” claims has launched a new website on which the health-related claims of food and fitness products can be rated. EnviroMedia Social Marketing created the online tool to expose “exaggerated or misleading health claims through advertising, marketing or packaging,” a practice it has dubbed “leanwashing.” When visited on March 15, 2012, the website, which uses a 1-5 rating scale with 1 corresponding to “authentic” ad claims and 5 corresponding to “bogus” product representations, listed a number of sugary cereal products at the high end of the scale and products such as POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate juice on the low end. Children’s products are rated using a separate set of criteria. Consumers are urged to post and rate ads on the site. See BusinessWire, March 13, 2012.

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For decades, manufacturers, distributors and retailers at every link in the food chain have come to Shook, Hardy & Bacon to partner with a legal team that understands the issues they face in today's evolving food production industry. Shook attorneys work with some of the world's largest food, beverage and agribusiness companies to establish preventative measures, conduct internal audits, develop public relations strategies, and advance tort reform initiatives.

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