Coffee-mate Class Action Lawsuit Says Creamer Contains Trans Fat

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

According to a recent Coffee-mate class action lawsuit, the coffee creamer contains trans fat despite representations that it does not.

Plaintiff Mark Beasley says he buys Coffee-mate creamers at least once a month.

However, in January 2017, the Coffee-mate class action claims Beasley realized the creamer actually contained trans fat and had been “fraudulently marketed.”

Coffee-mate creamers allegedly contain an additive known as partially hydrogenated oil.

In June 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued regulations regarding partial hydrogenated oil, declaring the additive unsafe for any use in food.

The Coffee-mate class action says PHO, which is a trans fat, is reportedly dangerous to cardiovascular health, prompting the FDA’s regulations.

However, Beasley claims that there was scientific evidence that partially hydrogenated oil was not safe before the FDA’s 2015 declaration. In 2011, a Harvard researcher came to the conclusion that making food with partially hydrogenated oil is “a food safety issue […] this is actually contamination.”

The Coffee-mate creamer class action says scientific evidence shows that trans fat found in products like partially hydrogenated oil can have a variety of health consequences including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and accelerated memory damage and cognitive decline.

“Doctors’ associations such as the American Heart Association, and learned societies such as the National Academies of Science, found that the addition of trans fat to the American diet by causing tens of thousands excess deaths per year, and worked to publicize these findings,” the Coffee-mate class action claims. “Nestle was well aware of these dangers, but choose not to follow its food industry peers in immediately removing trans fat from its products.”

The plaintiff argues that Coffee-mate manufacturers knew or should have known about the risks of using partially hydrogenated oil in their products, but chose to not accurately report their usage to consumers.

Instead, the company allegedly advertises their claim of “0g Trans Fat” prominently on Coffee-mate products’ labels.

“This language was part of an intentional, long-term campaign to deceptively market Coffee-mate as healthful and free of trans fat,” the Coffee-mate class action argues.

Beasley says that the manufacturers’ claims are “unlawful and deceptive” as the products do contain trans fat in the form of partially hydrogenated oil. These unfair claims allegedly violate several California laws including the California Unfair Competition Law.

The Coffee-mate class action claims that Nestle’s actions are made worse by several facts. First, International Delight, Nestle’s largest competitor, has made their coffee creamers without adding trans fat for years.

Several smaller brands have also accomplished this, meaning that there is allegedly no reason that Nestle could not have also accomplished making Coffee-mate products without partially hydrogenated oil.

Beasley seeks to represent a Class of all California consumers who purchased Coffee-mate products on or after Jan. 1, 2010. He also seeks to represent a subclass of California consumers who, on or after Jan. 1, 2010, purchased Coffee-mate products containing the claim “0g Trans Fat.”

The Coffee-mate class action lawsuit seeks, restitution, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.

The Coffee-mate class action was originally filed in California Superior Court for the County of San Francisco but was removed to federal court on Nov. 26.

Beasley and the proposed Class are represented by Gregory S. Weston and Andrew C. Hamilton of The Weston Firm.

The Coffee-mate Creamer Trans Fat Class Action Lawsuit is Beasley v. Lucky Stores Inc., et al., Case No. 3:18-cv-07144-JSC, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

UPDATE: On Jan. 24, 2020, Plaintiffs have overcome a bid to dismiss a Coffee-mate Creamer trans fat class action lawsuit alleging Nestle and others lied about the contents of their product.