Trader Joe’s Strawberry Toaster Pastries Contain Mostly Apple Puree, False Ad Class Action Alleges

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.

Trader Joe’s Strawberry Toaster Pastry Class Action Lawsuit Overview:

• Who: Trader Joe’s has been hit with a class action lawsuit over its strawberry toaster pastries.
• What: Consumers allege the company falsely advertises the pastries as being made from strawberries when they mostly contain apple puree.
• Where: The lawsuit was filed in Illinois

The fruit filling inside Trader Joe’s strawberry Organic Frosted Toaster Pastries is mostly made from apples, much to the surprise of a consumer who has filed a class action lawsuit against the company for false advertising.

The lawsuit was filed in Illinois on Oct. 16 by lead plaintiff Heather Quinn, who alleges that Trader Joe’s Company violated state business laws by advertising the frosted pastries with eight strawberries on the packaging and calling them “Organic Frosted Toaster Pastries – Strawberry,” when in fact the filling was mostly made from apple. The plaintiff claims the package statements were false and misleading.

The main fruit filling listed in the pastries’ ingredient list is apple puree, the claim reads, which made the company’s marketing “false, misleading, and deceptive.” Furthermore, the lawsuit claims vegetable juice was added for color, which increased the deception of the amount of strawberries included in the pastries.

“To give consumers the false impression that the product contains more strawberries than it does, it includes ‘vegetable juice for color,’” Quinn said in the class action claim.

Consumers, including Quinn, eat strawberries for their nutritive properties, including protecting the heart, increasing HDL cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, and guarding against cancer, the class action lawsuit states.

These benefits are because strawberries have one of the highest levels of nutrient density of all fruits and are an excellent source of vitamin C necessary for immune and skin health, it adds.

However, the pastries are unable to confer any of the health-related benefits of strawberries because the amount of strawberry ingredient is insufficient to provide the benefits of the fruit, the lawsuit states.

Trader Joe’s Violated Federal and State Regulations by Not Clearly Labeling the Product, the Class Action Claims

The class action claims federal and state regulations require a product’s front label to be clear and simple and Trader Joe’s violates those laws. Whether the fruit content of a toaster pastry includes only strawberries, mostly strawberries or merely some strawberries, supplemented by less-valued fruit ingredients, is basic front label information consumers rely on when making quick decisions at the grocery store, the plaintiff says.

On top of being mostly apple puree, the pastries contain more corn starch than strawberries, she adds, and Trader Joe’s adds strawberry flavor because the amount of strawberries included would not provide a strong flavor.

She says that other frosted toaster pastries from Walmart and Dollar Tree are described as “Strawberry,” with pictures of strawberries, but they put consumers on notice that they have less strawberries than consumers would otherwise expect, through the statement, “Naturally & Artificially Flavored.”

She said if she’d known the truth about Trader Joe’s pastries she would not have bought them or paid less than the $2.99 they demand.

Quinn wants to represent anyone in Illinois, North Dakota, Kansas, Michigan, West Virginia, Wyoming, Texas, and Delaware who bought the Trader Joe’s pastries. She is suing for violations of Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, breaches of warranty, negligent misrepresentation, fraud, and unjust enrichment.

She seeks certification of the Class, injunctive relief, damages, legal costs and fees, interest, and a jury trial.

Do you buy Trader Joe’s strawberry frosted pastries? Tell us in the comments section if you knew they were mostly made from apple puree!

Quinn is represented by Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates, P.C.

The Trader Joe’s Strawberry Pastries False Ad Class Action Lawsuit is Quinn v. Trader Joe’s Company, Case No. 1:21-cv-05513 in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• Walmart Supplier Issues Baby Food Recall Over Toxic Heavy Metal, as Class Action Lawsuits Over the Issue Pile Up
• Recall Check: Nationwide Recall on Fromm Dog Food for Elevated Levels of Vitamin D
• MrBeast Burger Hides Surcharges as Sales Tax To Boost Own Profits, Says Class Action
• Health-Ade Kombucha Increases Risk of Heart Disease, Diabetes, Class Action Alleges