When it comes to consumer class action litigation, what type of evidence is required to show that labeling nutrition bars as "all natural" violates false advertising and consumer protection laws? According to the plaintiffs...more
Our weekly roundup aims to keep our readers up to date on recent notable rulings in the food & consumer packaged goods space. - Makiko Fukaya v. Daiso California LLC et al., No. 3:23-cv-00099-JSC (N.D. Cal. – May 11, 2023):...more
Takeaway: In a pair of putative class actions, plaintiffs challenged Fanta’s “Piña Colada” soda’s “100% Natural Flavors” claim and a MiO flavored drink concentrate’s claims of containing Mango and Peach “natural flavor with...more
Distilled spirits manufacturers recently find themselves in proverbial hot water when it comes to incomplete or misleading representations on labels. Recent state and federal court cases highlight that while mere "puffery" –...more
In October of this year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals analyzed the issue of federal preemption in the context of poultry product labeling. The plaintiff in Cohen v. ConAgra Brands, Inc., brought a putative class action...more
Lawsuits against Tom’s of Maine (Tom’s) and Colgate-Palmolive Co. (Colgate), the parent company of Tom’s, have made news of late and raise concerns over representations about “natural” products on package labeling. ...more
A California federal judge recently handed a victory to the Hershey Co. in a suit alleging the company falsely represented that its Brookside chocolate products have no artificial flavors. Clark v. Hershey Co., 18-cv-06113...more
As we have reported in our previous blog posts (“Beware the “Influencer”” and “The Price of Natural Cosmetics”), courts continue to wrestle with challenges to manufacturers’ claims that their products are “all natural.”...more
With fifteen new cases filed in April, total filings on the year are slightly down from last year—there have been sixty-nine total new filings in 2019 compared with seventy-seven by this time last year. Most new filings were...more
“Contains detectable levels of the weed-killer chemical glyphosate.” “Contains limonene, which causes kidney toxicity and tumors, and linalool, a cockroach insecticide.” “Contains a potent biocide and endocrine disruptor,...more
Each month we will be sharing the PC Food Litigation Index, a summary of latest class action filings in the food and beverage industry. This data is compiled by Perkins Coie based on a review of dockets from courts...more
Newman v. Dierbergs Markets, Inc., No. 1822-CC00194 (Mo. Cir. Ct. – St. Louis): Putative class action asserting violations of Missouri’s Merchandising Practices Act, and raising a claim for unjust enrichment. Plaintiff...more
Lanham Act False Advertising - Lanham Act Liability for Native Advertising Violations - Casper Sleep, Inc. v. Mitcham, --- F. Supp. 3d ---, No. 16 Civ. 3224 (JSR), 2016 WL 4574388 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 1, 2016) - ...more
Food companies have several significant defenses to consumer fraud class actions over product labeling, say attorneys Joshua Briones and Crystal Lopez, and analyst Grace Rosales. The authors focus on damages, an area in which...more
The Federal Trade Commission has approved four final consent orders against companies that allegedly misrepresented their personal care products as "All-Natural" or "100% Natural," despite the fact that they contain man-made...more
A recent decision from the Southern District of California demonstrates the potential narrowing effect of a failure to strictly comply with the notice requirement for claims for damages under California’s Consumers Legal...more
Plaintiffs’ class action attorneys tend to follow trends. They are a savvy breed of attorney, at once creative and lazy (or efficient, depending on one’s perspective). One attorney discovers a statute, claim, or industry, and...more