NEW YORK — Suncore Products, L.L.C. may support certain advertising claims for its WhoNu? cookies, according to the National Advertising Division (N.A.D.) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.
The N.A.D., a self-regulatory forum for the advertising industry, requested substantiation for certain print, Internet and television claims made by Suncore Products. The claims included:
?”As much fiber as a bowl of oatmeal”
?”As much calcium and vitamin D as an 8-oz glass of milk”
?”As much vitamin C as a cup of blueberries”
?”As much iron as a cup of spinach”
?”As much vitamin E as two cups of carrot juice”
?”As much vitamin B12 as a cup of cottage cheese and fruit”
?”As much vitamin A as an 8-oz glass of tomato juice”
?”Each delicious 3-cookie serving has 3 grams of fiber, is an excellent source of calcium, iron, vitamins A, B12, C, D, and E, and has a total of 20 essential vitamins and minerals.”
The N.A.D. said Suncore Products avoided making a direct comparison of WhoNu? cookies to whole fruits or vegetables and limited claims to the nutrition supplied by a vitamin or a mineral. The N.A.D. also said Suncore Products refrained from expressly comparing WhoNu? cookies to whole fruits and vegetables, did not depict actual foods on its labels but rather cartoonish sketches, did not recommend its cookies as a substitute for healthy snacks, avoided making health claims and clearly identified the nutrient in the food that was being compared to the advertiser’s product.