Splenda Maker Sheds Stevia ‘100% Natural’ False Advertising Suit

TC Heartland LLC, the maker of Splenda’s Naturals Stevia sweeteners, convinced a federal judge to toss a proposed class action alleging the company deceptively advertised the products as “100% Natural.”

The consumers’ allegations that an intensive manufacturing process makes the product synthetic rather than natural were insufficient to state a claim, the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York said Tuesday.

“No reasonable consumer would conclude that a product contains artificial ingredients merely because it is produced ‘in industrial factories’ using ‘synthetic processes,’” Judge Ann M. Donnelly said. “Indeed, that is the way most consumer goods ...