Pret A Manger Class Action Challenges Natural Food Claims

A class action lawsuit filed by a Pret A Manger customer challenges the company’s claims that its foods are “natural.”

Plaintiff Skylar Cunningham says she has purchased products from various Pret A Manger stores in New York City.

The Pret A Manger class action claims that Cunningham viewed advertisements that labeled various food products as “natural” and these representations influenced her choice to purchase them.

The plaintiff says that in reality, the products contain GMOs, glyphosate, or other synthetic ingredients, and that she does not consider these products to be natural.

Cunningham claims that Pret A Manger misrepresented their products in an effort to encourage customers to purchase them, making them appear more desirable than they actually are.

The Pret A Manger class action lawsuit also alleges that had Cunningham known that the products contained GMOs, glyphosate, and other synthetic ingredients, she would not have purchased them or would not have paid as much for them as she had.

Cunningham does say that if the products were actually “natural” as advertised, she would consider purchasing them again.

The Pret A Manger class action lawsuit states that the plaintiff “expressly does not request” that the company be required to label their products with a GMO disclosure. Instead, she allegedly requests that the company be required to stop calling their products natural and alert customers to the fact that the products contain GMOs and other synthetic ingredients.

She aims to hold Pret A Manger LTD and Jab Holding Company, the parent company of Pret A Manger LTD liable for her alleged injuries.

The Pret A Manger class action lawsuit says the company gained unjust enrichment from the sale of these products because Cunningham and other customers paid more than they otherwise would have for the products, because they believed the product to be natural.

In other words, Cunningham says she received products that were worth less than what she paid for them. Allegedly, she lost money as a result of her purchases.

The Pret A Manger ingredients class action lawsuit notes that the allegedly non-natural ingredients are listed on the back of the products’ packaging, but most consumers would not be able to identify these ingredients as not natural, and rely on the overreaching claim that the products are “natural” to make their purchasing decisions.

According to Cunningham, “even though the ingredients listed above are identified on the back of the products’ packaging in the ingredients listed, the reasonable consumer would not understand, nor are he or she expected to understand, that these ingredients are synthetic and/or GMOs.”

The Pret A Manger class action lawsuit argues that the company knowingly misrepresents its products as natural because they know that consumers have a preference for “natural” products, because they are seen as healthier.

Cunningham says she plans to bring expert testimony forward in a jury trial that will show that the companies are violating New York General Business Law, consumer protection statutes present in all 50 states, as well as the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act by representing their products as natural.

This Pret A Manger class action lawsuit follows claims made by another customer that the company uses deceptive packaging to disguise that the company’s wraps are smaller than advertised.

Cunningham is represented by Jason P. Sultzer, Janine Pollack, and Jeremy Francis of The Sultzer Law Group PC and by Michael R. Reese and George V. Granade of Reese LLP.

The Pret A Manger Natural Labeling Class Action Lawsuit is Skylar Cunningham v. Pret A Manger LTD, et al., Case No. 1:19-cv-02322, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

UPDATE: On Sept. 12, 2019, Pret A Manger filed a second motion to dismiss a class action lawsuit alleging that the company’s food is not “natural” because it contains “synthetic ingredients” and soya, which is a genetically modified organism (GMO).