Log Cabin Syrup Class Action Challenges ‘All Natural’ Label Claims

A class action lawsuit alleges that Pinnacle’s Log Cabin Syrup isn’t “all natural,” as it actually contains synthetic ingredients.

Plaintiff Barbara Moreno says she relied on Log Cabin Syrup’s advertising to make her purchasing decision, and specifically chose the product because it was labeled as “all natural.”

She claims that after she purchased the product, she discovered that it contained synthetic ingredients like xanthan gum.

The Log Cabin Syrup class action states that Moreno was injured by her purchase of the syrup because had she known that the product contained synthetic ingredients, she would not have purchased it, or would not have paid as much for it as she did.

She aims to hold Pinnacle Foods Group LLC, the makers of the product, liable for false advertising, allegedly misbranding their product as natural, and misleading customers. She seeks damages for herself and on behalf of all customers who were similarly misled into purchasing the Log Cabin Syrup.

The all natural Log Cabin Syrup class action lawsuit argues that customers seek out foods made with natural ingredients over synthetic ingredients because foods made with natural ingredients are seen as healthier.

Allegedly, Pinnacle Foods knew that customers have this preference, and knew that customers actively choose foods with natural ingredients over those with synthetic ingredients.

Moreno argues that Pinnacle Foods knowingly misrepresenting its Log Cabin Syrup in an attempt to encourage consumers to choose their product over others. However, she says that the food did not offer implied health benefits of natural foods.

She claims that Pinnacle Foods profited off of the sale of the product, but this profit was unjustly gained because it was based on tricking customers into thinking the product was different from what it really is.

The Pinnacle Log Cabin Syrup false advertising class action lawsuit claims that the all natural Log Cabin Syrup contains xanthan gum, a synthetic thickener.

Allegedly, xanthan gum is commercially made by fermenting bacteria with a carbohydrate like GMO corn syrup. This mixture is then sterilized and dried with isopropyl alcohol or ethanol, then pressed and ground for distribution.

Moreno says that because xanthan gum is a synthetic substance, it is misleading for Pinnacle Foods to describe the Log Cabin Syrup as “all natural.”

The Log Cabin Syrup class action states that “nowhere on the product or in the ingredient list does [the company] explain that it contains artificial or synthetic ingredients, but instead relies on consumers ignorance of its ingredients to hide the artificial, synthetic, or highly processed nature of its ingredients.”

The Federal Food Drug & Cosmetic Act prohibits companies from misbranding products, which the act describes as when a product has false or misleading labeling.

The Log Cabin Syrup class action claims that calling a food “all natural” when it does not contain all natural ingredients “does not reveal the basic nature of the food and its properties.”

The plaintiff originally filed the Log Cabin Syrup class action lawsuit in California Superior Court, but the case was removed to federal court on Nov. 26.

Moreno is represented by Ryan M. Ferrell and Thomas Kohler of Apex Trial Law.

The Log Cabin Syrup All Natural Class Action Lawsuit is Barbara Moreno v. Pinnacle Foods Group LLC, Case No. 5:18-cv-02473, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.