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Sara Lee settles bread flap: Soft & Smooth label to say: 30% whole grains
(Chicago Tribune (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 22--Under fire from a food-labeling advocacy group, Sara Lee Corp. has agreed to clarify the amount of whole grain in its Soft & Smooth bread, a popular product that combines whole wheat with a traditional white loaf.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest said Monday that it had reached an agreement with Downers Grove-based Sara Lee, in which Soft & Smooth's labeling will make clear that it consists of 30 percent whole grains.
The advocacy group had threatened in December to sue Sara Lee, saying the company's claims of "whole grain goodness" on Soft & Smooth have been misleading because the bread is made primarily from refined white flour.
"This settlement will help consumers comparison shop among breads: plain white bread, breads like Sara Lee's with 30 percent whole grains, and 100 percent whole wheat bread," Michael Jacobson, the group's executive director, said in a statement.
Sara Lee also makes several varieties of 100 percent whole grain bread.
Sara Matheu, a spokeswoman for Sara Lee, said the company had been contemplating more precise labeling for Soft & Smooth before the threatened lawsuit. As for the 30 percent whole grain disclosure, "that's something we're very happy to put on our packaging," she said.
Sara Lee also agreed that Soft & Smooth's label will note that two slices contain 10 grams of whole grain, and that 48 grams of whole grains are recommended for daily consumption by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Nutritionists increasingly have been touting the health benefits of whole grains. As a result, foodmakers have come out with a slew of whole-grain-related products in recent years.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, however, has criticized packaged-food companies, saying they are giving consumers the impression that products are whole-grain even if they contain only a small amount of whole grains.
The idea behind Soft & Smooth, which was introduced in 2005, was to win over consumers who like the texture of white bread but want some nutritional benefits of whole wheat, Sara Lee said. Seeing Sara Lee's success with Soft & Smooth, other companies also have introduced whole grain hybrid breads.
mhughlett@tribune.com
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