General Mills sues Chobani over yogurt ad claim

General Mills filed a federal lawsuit against Chobani for an advertising campaign that attacks one of the company's yogurt products, claiming it contains chemicals that could be used to kill bugs.

The company filed the civil action in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis Sunday under unfair and deceptive practices laws.

Chobani has launched television and print ads against General Mills' Yoplait Greek yogurt making false statements about its ingredients, according to the lawsuit.

General Mills alleges a commercial makes its yogurt appear as if it's "laced with a pesticide" and that "it is so dangerous and unfit to eat that consumers should discard it as garbage."

General Mills defends the preservative potassium sorbate mentioned in the commercial and says it's considered by federal agencies to be a safe food ingredient.

Editor's note (Jan. 29, 2016): A previous version of this story contained a video that has since been removed from YouTube.