(NaturalNews) After years of backlash from health-minded consumers duped by false statements such as "Nothing artificial" and "100% natural" on Kashi and Bear Naked product labeling, Kellogg has finally reached a settlement.

Kellogg spokeswoman Kris Charles said that the company's Kashi and Bear Naked lines, which "provide comprehensive information about [our] foods to enable people to make well-informed choices," will no longer label some of its products as "100% Natural" and "All Natural." Additionally, the recent class-action settlement involves Kellogg paying over $5 million to establish a fund which will allow consumers to get back $0.50 per package for Kashi products purchased during certain time frames. Similarly, a $325,000 settlement fund will be set up for Bear Naked consumer claims.

The scoop: years of questionable behavior from Kellogg

In 2011, it was discovered that Kashi had spent $800,000 dollars fighting Proposition 37, the California ballot initiative for GMO labeling. Then the head-scratching oddities of it all kicked in. Why would a company touting naturalness be shelling out the big bucks to keep the issue quiet?

From there, a domino effect of reactions surfaced, including one New England store, Green Grocer, who took matters in their own hands by removing the products from their shelves. In those instances, they created signs informing customers that 100 percent of the soy used in Kashi products is actually genetically modified, despite its "All natural" claims. They also made them aware that grains used in their cereals were found to contain carcinogenic and hormone-disrupting pesticides. The sign was posted on the Internet and from there came a fast-spreading viral reaction that generated increased awareness about the deception.

In an attempt to reassure consumers that it was trying to get back on the healthy track, Kashi says they started working with the non-GMO project in which they were able to have seven of their foods officially verified as being non-GMO. Many people surely applauded their efforts, but it's likely that even more mumbled something about having a bridge to be sold as well.

Thankfully, this settlement has been reached and hopefully ingredients that were found in these Kellogg products such as pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium pantothenate or hexane-processed soy oil will not surface in other products carrying labeling that promises otherwise. As a side note that many may consider ironic or open to interpretation in light of recent events, on Mother's Day 2014 Kellogg said on Twitter, "May your Mother's Day be filled with unexpected treats! #happymothersday #frootloops pic.twitter.com/yFvHUAoCu8."

"Treats," as people have learned, may mean one thing to Kellogg and a whole other thing to consumers.

"We will comply with the terms of the settlement agreement by the end of the year," says Charles "and will continue to ensure our foods meet our high quality and nutrition standards, while delivering the great taste people expect."

Sources for this article include:

https://www.naturalnews.com/039676_kashi_gmo_ingredients.html

http://newsroom.kelloggs.com/

About the author:
A science enthusiast with a keen interest in health nutrition, Antonia has been intensely researching various dieting routines for several years now, weighing their highs and their lows, to bring readers the most interesting info and news in the field. While she is very excited about a high raw diet, she likes to keep a fair and balanced approach towards non-raw methods of food preparation as well. >>> Click here to see more by Antonia