General Mills Must Defend Labeling Suit Over Cartoon Snacks

General Mills Inc. must continue to defend a proposed class suit alleging it misleads consumers about ingredients in fruit snacks named for cartoon characters.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Universal City Studios LLC, and others that licensed the use of children’s cartoon characters for marketing were dismissed from the case, for now.

Crystal Hilsley alleged the Scooby-Doo, Dora the Explorer, and other snacks are touted as “naturally flavored” even though they contain undisclosed synthetic d-l malic acid, an artificial flavoring.

General Mills said malic acid serves as a pH control agent, not an artificial flavor.

The ruling by the U.S. District ...