Judge lets Fruit Roll-Ups lawsuit proceed

(Reuters) - General Mills Inc must defend a lawsuit that claims the food company deceived consumers into believing its Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit by the Foot snacks are made with real fruit.

Reasonable consumers might be misled by packaging that claimed the snacks are "made with real fruit," and would not read the fine print, U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti in San Francisco said on Thursday.

The federal lawsuit is one of many accusing food companies of advertising products as being healthier than they are.

Last month, Italy's Ferrero set aside $3 million to settle a U.S. lawsuit by a San Diego mother that claimed its Nutella chocolate spread could not be considered a healthy and nutritious part of a balanced breakfast.

The General Mills case was brought in October by Annie Lam, a resident of Daly City, California. It sought class-action status on behalf of consumers nationwide.

Lam said General Mills incorrectly described the ingredients of its fruit snacks, citing strawberry-flavored Fruit Roll-Ups that contain "pears from concentrate," but no strawberries.

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