FTC Finds More Than a Gram of Fallacy in Ads by Haagen-Dazs

Low-fat Haagen-Dazs? In several instances, it really was too good to be true, the Federal Trade Commission says.

Haagen-Dazs Co., which built its reputation on rich, creamy frozen desserts, agreed Monday to settle FTC charges that it made false and misleading statements about its frozen yogurt products. The company, based in Teaneck, N.J., advertised its frozen yogurt products last year as “low fat” and “98 percent fat free.” It also said its frozen yogurt bars contained only 100 calories and one gram of fat.

The FTC said seven of the company’s nine frozen yogurt flavors were not low-fat--defined by the Food and Drug Administration as having three grams of fat or less. Some of them had as many as 12 grams of fat per serving, the agency said. And three of its eight flavors of frozen yogurt bars--cherry chocolate fudge, vanilla chocolate crunch and coffee chocolate crunch--contained as many as 230 calories per serving, not the 100 calories the ads claimed.

As part of the settlement, Haagen-Dazs admitted no wrongdoing but said it will not run misleading ads again.

Haagen-Dazs is not the first company to be hit by an FTC complaint of misleading advertising. Islay Klondike’s Klondike ice cream bars also had problems with low-fat and calorie claims. And Stouffer Food Corp. had a run-in with the agency last month over its low-sodium claims. Both lost.

As part of a new food labeling law that went into effect last spring, the FDA defines terms such as low - fat and reduced - calorie and makes sure that the nutritional information on food packages is correct. But the FTC makes sure advertising claims about food are not misleading.