Best of the Blogs, Consumer: Mothers Sue General Mills Over Misleading Labels

This column highlights the most interesting and useful business and financial commentary for consumers from around the Web every Wednesday.

Environmental Leader
Link: General Mills Sued Over ‘Natural’ Labeling
“A lawsuit filed by two California mothers against General Mills (GIS) claims the maker of Kix cereal, Bisquick, and Cheerios has deceptively marketed its Nature Valley products as natural when they contain highly processed ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, high maltose corn syrup and maltodextrin.”

Mother Nature Network
Link: Free Haircuts for Kids at JCPenney
“JCPenney (JCP) is helping ease the back-to-school budget crunch by offering free haircuts to students entering kindergarten through 6th grade. JCPenney stores equipped with a salon are participating in the free haircut promotion for the entire month of August.

“The free haircuts are being offered as part of JCPenney’s new back-to-school marketing campaign, which includes the unveiling of the Shops concept. Newly designed denim Shops, featuring popular brands like Levi’s and Buffalo, will offer customers a fun place to shop while taking advantage of the store’s commitment to everyday low prices.”

Brand Channel
Link: Soda Wars: Let ‘Happiness’ Reign as Chief Execs ‘Live for Now’
“Coca-Cola (KO) is busy spreading 'Happiness' around the world through the London Summer Olympics, while Pepsi (PEP) is counting on new cultural relevance through its music-based "Live for Now" campaign and by sponsoring the next Super Bowl halftime show.

“But back at the home offices in Atlanta and in Purchase, N.Y., executives of each company are dealing with real-world strains including the increasing opposition of nutrition activists (including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg), more competition, consumers' fading interest in soft drinks — and with each other. And those factors are contributing to important new dynamics for PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi and Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent.”

Wired
Link: New San Francisco Sanwich Joint Snubs Cash for QR Codes
“Cash-only establishments are plentiful in San Francisco, but Spilt Bread, a new sandwich joint opening in August in the city’s SoMa neighborhood, will be the first to spurn coins and legal-tender paper.

“Mobile payments have become familiar to San Franciscans, where many vendors accept Google Wallet and process payments using Square. In 2011, when grilled cheese chain The Melt debuted with online, mobile and QR-code ordering, the city hardly batted an eye.”

The Consumerist
Link: All of This Wal-Mart’s Enfamil Baby Formula Is Expired
“Vinny went to a Wal-Mart (WMT) somewhere in New England to pick up some baby formula. After the purchase, he noticed that the cans he had were expired. No big deal: he brought them back to the store for the easiest exchange he's ever experienced at a Wal-Mart. Not an exchange, though. That's what he would have preferred, but he tells Consumerist that every container of formula on the shelf was expired.”