Nestle Warned by U.S. Over Kids’ Beverage Marketing (Update1)

Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Nestle SA’s Juicy Juice and Boost beverages for children violate U.S. rules about marketing health claims, regulators said.

The Food and Drug Administration posted a warning letter on its Web site today ordering the Vevey, Switzerland-based company to remove claims about the brain development benefits and sugar content of its Juicy Juice product for infants because they aren’t allowed for children under 2 years of age. The agency also said content labeling for Nestle’s orange tangerine and grape juices are “misleading” because they claimed to be 100 percent juice.

A separate warning letter posted today said Nestle’s Boost Kid Essentials Nutritionally Complete Drink is falsely promoted as a “medical food.” The agency has been cracking down on health claims and advertising to consumers this year under the leadership of Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and deputy Joshua Sharfstein, two former city health commissioners.

“It is your responsibility to ensure that all of your products are in compliance with the laws and regulations enforced by FDA,” the agency wrote to Nestle in its letters, dated Dec. 3 and 4. “Failure to promptly correct these violations may result in regulatory actions without further notice, such as seizure and/or injunction.”

Nestle is the world’s biggest food company.

To contact the reporter on this story: Catherine Larkin in Washington at clarkin4@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net.