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Are Target, General Mills guilty of deceptive labeling?

A pair of stories this morning raise the question of whether you can really trust what you read on food labels.

A pair of stories this morning raise the question of whether you can really trust what you read on food labels.

A Wisconsin public interest group is calling for an investigation of Target for allegedly slapping an “organic” label on soy milk made from conventional, not organic, soybeans.

The Cornucopia Institute tells the Associated Press that Target is either trying to deceive customers or carelessly mislabeling the product. A Target spokeswoman says the company is researching the complaint.

Meanwhile, federal health officials are questioning the “Smart Choices” label used by General Mills and others to denote healthier food products, such as Cocoa Puffs, one of the cereals that earns the seal.

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“There are products that have gotten the Smart Choices check mark that are almost 50 percent sugar,” a Food and Drug Administration commissioner told reporters on Tuesday.