An artisan bakery in the USA has received a regulatory yellow card after listing 'love' as one of the ingredients in their granola.

The US Food and Drug Administration told Massachussets-based Nashoba Brook Bakery that "'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.”

That stern note prompted a dismayed reaction from bakery CEO John Gates, who called it "so George Orwell".

“I really like that we list ‘love’ in the granola,” Mr Gates told Bloomberg. “It’s kind of nice that this artisan bakery can say there’s love in it and it puts a smile on people’s face. 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.”

Mr Gates however acknowledged that other FDA warnings about sanitation levels were "helpful" and that the company would be addressing them.

The company will also be amending their granola recipe, to ensure it is feelings-free.