Sorry, mothers everywhere: according to the Food and Drug Administration, you can’t say your food is made with “love.”
One of the FDA’s complaints against Nashoba Brook Bakery happens to be that the bakery lists “love” as an ingredient in their granola:
Your Nashoba Granola label lists ingredient "Love". Ingredients required to be declared on the label or labeling of food must be listed by their common or usual name [21 CFR 101.4(a)(1). "Love" is not a common or usual name of an ingredient, and is considered to be intervening material because it is not part of the common or usual name of the ingredient.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Nashoba Brook Bakery CEO John Gates said the FDA’s criticism of the word “love” “just felt so George Orwell.”
“I really like that we list ‘love’ in the granola,” Gates explained. “People ask us what makes it so good. It’s kind of nice that this artisan bakery can say there’s love in it and it puts a smile on people’s face. Situations like that where the government is telling you you can’t list ‘love’ as an ingredient, because it might be deceptive, just feels so silly.”
The FDA told Bloomberg Nashoba Brook Bakery’s use of the word “love” is “not among the agency’s top concerns.” Instead, the FDA’s “warning letter” includes references to “adulterated foods” and “insanitary conditions.”
This is not the first time the FDA has picked a semantic fight with a granola-maker. In 2016, the FDA finally dropped its claim against KIND granola bars for their use of the word “healthy.” The FDA eventually relented, claiming KIND could use the word “healthy” as long as it was part of their corporate philosophy.
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