Albertsons class action claims grocer falsely advertises fruit cups with 100% juice

Albertsons fruit cups class action overview: 

• Who: Plaintiff Christian Lucas is suing Albertsons Companies Inc.
• Why: Lucas alleges the grocery chain falsely advertises some of its fruit cup products as containing “100% Juice.”
• Where: The Albertsons fruit cups class action lawsuit was filed in a California federal court.

A California man has hit Albertsons with a class action lawsuit alleging it falsely advertises its fruit cups products as containing “100% Juice”

Christian Lucas filed a class action complaint against Albertsons Companies Inc. on Aug. 1 in a California federal court, claiming the company misled consumers about the juice content of its Signature Select fruit products. 

The complaint alleges Albertsons marketed its Signature Select Sliced Peaches and Mandarin Oranges cups as containing “100% juice” or “100% fruit juice,” despite the presence of synthetic preservatives such as ascorbic acid and citric acid.

Lucas says he bought the Signature Select Mandarin Oranges cups from a Safeway store — a chain owned by Albertsons — in June 2024. He says he relied on the product’s labeling, which prominently claimed it contained “100% fruit juice.” 

Believing the product to be free of synthetic additives, Lucas paid a premium price, the lawsuit alleges. However, upon discovering the inclusion of ascorbic acid and citric acid, he says he felt “deceived’ and asserts that he would not have bought the product, or would have paid significantly less for it, had he known the truth.

Lawsuit claims Albertsons exploits customer preferences for premium price

Lucas argues that Albertsons’ marketing practices are particularly deceptive given current consumer trends. 

Surveys and studies show that a significant number of Americans are increasingly attentive to ingredient lists and prefer products without artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, he says.

Labels that emphasize “no artificial ingredients/colors” rank highly among indicators of food safety for consumers, the lawsuit states. By labeling its products containing “100% juice” while including synthetic preservatives, Lucas claims Albertsons is “exploiting consumer preferences for clean, natural products.”

Lucas is looking to represent anyone in the United States who purchased the specified Signature Select products.

He alleges Albertsons’ practices violated multiple California consumer protection laws, including the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, the Unfair Competition Law, and the False Advertising Law. 

He is seeking certification of the class action, damages, restitution, and an injunction to prevent Albertsons from continuing its allegedly deceptive marketing practices. Lucas also demands compensation for the premium price he and other consumers allegedly paid under false pretenses.

Meanwhile, Albertsons was hit with a class action lawsuit in February alleging it sends unwanted text messages to consumers in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

What do you think of the allegations in the Albertsons fruit cup class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments. 

The plaintiff is represented by L. Timothy Fisher and Joshua B. Glatt of Bursor & Fisher P.A., and Adrian Gucovschi and Benjamin Rozenshteyn of Gucovschi Rozenshteyn PLLC. 

The Albertsons fruit cups class action lawsuit is Christian Lucas v. Albertsons Companies Inc., Case No. 4:24-cv-04675 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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