Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over ‘Natural Flavors’ in Core Power Protein Shake

Fairlife has been served with a new federal class action lawsuit over claims the company’s vanilla Core Power protein shake doesn’t contain any real vanilla, which means its packaging is deceptive.

Core Power customer Yahayra Ynfante of New York, filed the class action lawsuit against Fairlife in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Sept. 21. She is seeking a jury trial and wants to represent countless other consumers who bought the vanilla protein shake because the drink’s label said it contained “natural flavors.”

The average consumer reading the label would think it meant the vanilla flavor is derived from natural vanilla, Ynfante’s lawyer argues in the complaint, but it does not.

The “natural flavors” listed in the drink’s ingredients inventory refers to “compounds which enhance, resemble, simulate, reinforce and extend the ‘complex array of flavor notes and aromas’ of vanilla, ‘but are not derived from vanilla beans,’ and is therefore considered an artificial flavor,” the class action lawsuit says.

Large images of dried vanilla bean pods and vanilla flowers all over the Core Power protein shake bottles only reinforce the idea in consumers’ minds that the drink is made from those ingredients, Ynfante’s class action lawsuit says.

“The product’s front label does not state ‘contains some vanilla’ or ‘made with a drop of vanilla,’ but designates the characterizing flavor as ‘Vanilla’ above the term ‘Natural Flavors’,” the class action lawsuit states.

Vanilla is one of the most popular and expensive spices on the market, according to the court documents filed as part of the class action lawsuit.

That’s due, at least in part, to the fact that vanilla’s flavor attributes — which come from the spice’s more than 200 naturally occurring compounds — are so complex they cannot accurate be duplicated, the class action lawsuit says.

As a result, consumers are willing to “pay a premium” for a naturally flavored vanilla product.

Fairlife knows that, the class action claims, and intentionally misleads its customers to profit from that willingness.

The company’s actions constitute violations of New York state consumer protection laws and negligent misrepresentation, breach of express and implied warranty, fraud and unjust enrichment, the plaintiff claims.

The Core Power protein shake class action lawsuit against Fairlife is not the only class action lawsuit the company is facing.

Fairlife and the Coca-Cola Company were targeted in a class action lawsuit filed in California alleging the companies misrepresent their milk products come from cows that are treated humanely, but are not.

The plaintiff in that class action lawsuit accuses Fairlife of violating state advertising law by marketing the milk in such a way that leads customers to believe the cows producing the milk are living a “fair life.”

In the Core Power class action lawsuit, lead plaintiff Ynfante is seeking to represent all customers who purchased the vanilla protein drink within the last four years. It is unclear how many potential Class Members there are.

Did you ever buy a bottle of Fairlife’s Core Power vanilla protein drink? Did you choose the vanilla flavor because you thought it was made with real, natural vanilla? Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Lead plaintiff Ynfante and the proposed Class Members are represented by Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC.

The Fairlife Core Power Protein Shake Class Action Lawsuit is Yahayra Ynfante, et al. v. Fairlife LLC, Case No. 7:20-cv-07776, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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