Food Labeling Lawsuits a Growing Trend

2013 | Topic: Class Actions

An increasing number of lawsuits have been filed over "natural" terms used to promote various food, beverage, and personal care products, particularly if the product contains genetically engineered ingredients.  Recently filed complaints claiming as false or misleading a product that has been labeled, marketed, or otherwise promoted as "natural” include: 

(D. Colo.) - class action complaint alleging Pepperidge Farm "mistakenly or misleadingly represented that its Cheddar Goldfish crackers . . . are 'Natural,' when in fact, they are not, because they contain Genetically Modified Organisms ('GMOs') in the form of soy and/or soy derivatives";

(D. N.J.) - class action complaint alleging Johnson & Johnson advertised its Aveeno Baby Wash and Shampoo and Baby Calming Comfort Bath "natural oat formula" products as all-natural when they include several synthetic chemicals;

(N. D. Cal.) - class action complaint alleging General Mills Inc.'s Green Giant 100 percent Natural Valley Fresh Steamers frozen vegetables are not, in fact, 100 percent natural; and

However. in a notable victory for defendants, a Northern District of California judge recently threw out a class action lawsuit which alleged that AriZona Beverage Co. misrepresented its iced teas as all-natural because they contained high fructose corn syrup and citric acid.