Albertsons class action claims blueberry cereal bars falsely advertised as naturally flavored

Albertsons class action overview: 

• Who: Plaintiffs Michelle Garza and Arayik Shahbazian filed a class action lawsuit against Albertsons. 
• Why: The plaintiffs claim Albertsons sells blueberry fruit-and-grain cereal bars that are advertised as naturally flavored when they are actually flavored with artificial ingredients.
• Where: The Albertsons cereal bars lawsuit was filed in federal court in California.

A new class action lawsuit claims Albertsons sells blueberry fruit-and-grain cereal bars that are falsely advertised as naturally flavored when they are actually flavored with artificial ingredients.

The Albertsons cereal bars do have some natural blueberry flavors, but also include the synthetic malic acid higher up on their ingredients lists, the class action says.

“DL-malic acid is not a ‘natural flavor’ as defined by federal and state regulations, because it is not from a fruit, vegetable, or other natural source, but from petroleum, made through chemical reactions,” the class action says.

Natural flavoring is important to consumers, the class action says, citing surveys that show as much as 80% of the public believes artificial flavors to be unhealthy.

Albertsons cereal bars packaging is deceiving, class action claims

While the ingredients list on the Albertsons cereal bars acknowledges malic acid is an important ingredient, the products’ front label is deceiving, the class action alleges.

“Plaintiffs are like most consumers and when they see a label that tells them a food is ‘Naturally Flavored,’ they do not expect its taste to be from artificial flavoring and/or that it will contain artificial flavoring ingredients,” the class action says.

Kroger is facing a similar class action lawsuit claiming it falsely advertises its blueberry cereal bars as being “made with real fruit” when the blueberry flavor is actually derived from artificial flavoring ingredients.

Have you purchased Albertsons cereal bars? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Kyle Gurwell of The Law Office of Kyle Gurwell.

The Albertsons class action lawsuit is Garza, et al. v. Albertsons Companies Inc., Case No. 2:24-cv-02622, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Western Division.

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