The Government Has Spoken. ‘Love’ Is Not a Food Ingredient.

2 minute read
Maple Olive Oil Pecan Granola
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 24: Maple Olive Oil Pecan Granola. (Photo by Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)The Washington Post—The Washington Post/Getty Images
By Raisa Bruner

The federal Food and Drug Administration is not in the mood for love.

The FDA recently reprimanded a Massachusetts bakery for including the romantic term in the ingredients list for its granola. Unfortunately for the West Concord’s Nashoba Brook Bakery, however, seasonings of “love” aren’t meant to be. They laid out the case against love in a warning letter:

Your Nashoba Granola label lists ingredient ‘Love.’ Ingredients required to be declared on the label or labeling of food must be listed by their common or usual name. ‘Love’ is not a common or usual name of an ingredient, and is considered to be intervening material because it is not part of the common or usual name of the ingredient.

The CEO of the bakery in question, John Gates, sounds a bit heartbroken over this unrequited attempt to inject some sweetness into the packaging.

“Situations like that where the government is telling you you can’t list ‘love’ as an ingredient, because it might be deceptive, just feels so silly,” he told Bloomberg News, calling the response “so George Orwell.” Then again, the FDA had plenty of other health and safety concerns about the bakery’s practices. The “love” thing just happens to cut to the core. And of course the internet had feelings about the FDA’s lack of sensitivity.

Better luck next time, Nashoba Brook. Guess the FDA just isn’t that into you.

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Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com