Aldi Almond Milk Class Action Alleging Fake Vanilla Flavor Tossed by Federal Judge

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.

Aldi Almond Milk Class Action Overview:  

• Who: A New York federal judge dismissed a class action lawsuit lodged against popular grocery chain, Aldi, Inc.  
• Why: After amending claims that consumers were duped about the vanilla content in Aldi almond milk, the judge deemed further attempts to salvage the lawsuit futile, and dismissed the class action with prejudice. 
• Where: The litigation was pending in New York federal court. 

A class action lawsuit claiming the vanilla-flavored version of Aldi almond milk does not contain real vanilla was dismissed with prejudice by a New York federal judge Wednesday.  

Lead plaintiff Eric Parham claimed he purchased Aldi’s Friendly Farms almond milk based on advertisements that it contained vanilla in his 2019 complaint. Parham accused the German-based grocery chain of “food fraud” and sought to represent consumers who had believed that they were purchasing a product flavored with real vanilla.  

Parham pointed to a lab analysis of Aldi’s vanilla almond milk that found “trace” amounts of real vanilla — along with substantial quantities of a cheap substitute. However, in 2020 a magistrate judge found that a reasonable consumer would not be misled.  

“A reasonable consumer would understand that the word ‘vanilla’ on the front of the carton describes how the product tastes, not what it contains, especially in circumstances where the ingredients listed on the product container do not mention vanilla at all,” said the judge.  

Aldi Almond Milk Class Action Dealt A Final Blow 

The order to issue a final dismissal came after Parham and his attorneys submitted several modified iterations of the class action lawsuit to the court. US District Judge Paul G. Gardephe found that the new allegations failed to save the claims.  

“Given that plaintiff has had ample notice for some time of the deficiencies in his pleadings, and has not succeeded in curing these deficiencies, there is no reason to believe that further amendment would be productive,” states Judge Gardephe’s order issued Tuesday.  

Food manufactures have faced mounting claims from consumers who say they want real vanilla to flavor their foods. Aldi was hit with another class action lawsuit over its Sundae Shoppe and Belmont vanilla ice cream.  

Consumers have also filed claims over the vanilla varieties of other products, including  Chobani yogurts, Chobani creamers, Celestial Seasonings teas, Dreyer’s ice cream, Orgain almond milk, Monster Energy drinks, and Coca-Cola. 

This summer, the makers of Blue Diamond Almond Breeze agreed to pay $2.6 million to end a class action lawsuit over fake vanilla flavoring.  

Have you purchased Aldi almond milk? Do you think the grocer misleads consumers about its vanilla flavor? Tell us in the comment section below! 

Parham is represented by Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC and by Michael R. Reese of Reese LLP. 

The Aldi Almond Milk Class Action Lawsuit is Eric Parham v. Aldi Inc., Case No. 1:19-cv-089785, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. 

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• ​Recall Alert: Aldi Simply Nature Organic Poppy Seed Dressing Pulled for Potential Clostridium Botulinum Contamination
• Kohl’s Denies Access for Blind, Visually Impaired Consumers, Class Action Alleges
• Recall Check: Shrimp Recall Expanded Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination
• Kashi Mixed Berry Bar Contains ‘Less Berry,’ More Pear, Sugar, Tapioca, Says Class Action