FDA: No, 'love' is not a granola ingredient

Your mother baked it into every birthday cake and it was vital to grandma's lasagna— but sorry, "love" is not an ingredient.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration broke the news to a Massachusetts bakery last month. In an official warning letter, the agency refuted Nashoba Brook Bakery's claim its granola contained that often-fleeting and yet sometimes-forever feeling.

"Your Nashoba Granola label lists ingredient 'Love,'" read the Sept. 22 letter. "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."

The letter said the granola is "misbranded" and out-of-step with federal food labeling regulations. The company is to correct the violations. If it doesn't, the FDA could take further action, including "seizure and injunction."

The bakery, located in Concord and started by two high school friends nearly 20 years ago, has hardly been given a bad name, CEO John Gates suggests. 

Gates told the Associated Press the reactions to the love-less government warning have been positive. The company appears to have embraced the finding, retweeting various media reports of the letter from its company Twitter account.

"The idea that we have to take the word 'love' off of the ingredient list for our granola feels a little silly," Gates told NPR. But he's not giving up.

"We will comply with everything that the FDA has asked us to do," he added. "The only caveat is that we will ask for consideration where they might let us add love as a listed ingredient back into the granola label."

The FDA's inspection listed several other violations related to unsanitary conditions in the kitchen and issues with issues with ceiling vents among others.

Follow Sean Rossman on Twitter: @SeanRossman