Manufacturers of Prego, Wonder Bread Make Unsubstantiated Nutrient Claims

Manufacturers of Prego, Wonder Bread Make Unsubstantiated Nutrient Claims

WASHINGTON--The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a letter March 12 to Camden, N.J.-based Campbell Soup, reporting that the company's Prego brand three cheese pasta sauce did not contain the labeled amount of vitamin C. On the bottle, Campbell Soup reported one serving was equivalent to 25 percent of the daily value (DV) for vitamin C. However, FDA tests indicated the sauce had between 22 percent and 33 percent of the DV. The agency asked the company to promptly correct these violations or face seizure and/or injunction of product.

And, on March 6, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that Kansas City, Mo.-based Interstate Bakeries Corp. (IBC), the maker of Wonder Bread, allegedly did not have adequate substantiation for making health claims during one of its ads. The ad featured "Professor Wonder," who stated the bread was a good source of calcium and could improve children's memory. Minneapolis-based Campbell Mithun, IBC's ad agency, was also named in the complaint, which alleged that the ad agency knew or should have known these claims were unsupported.