Iconic Oregon brand faces suit over 'natural' claim

Salem-based Kettle Brands is facing a new accusation that its potato chips aren’t as natural as claimed. A proposed class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene on Friday alleges Kettle Foods Holdings Inc. uses at least two ingredients — “industrially manufactured” citric acid and “factory-produced” maltodextrin — that belie its natural claims. In 2014, Kettle’s then-owner Diamond Foods was hit with a similar class-action suit that focused on the ingredients “maltodextrin and/or dextrose.”