B&G Foods, La Flor Products Class Actions Claim Companies Sold Herbs, Spices Containing Toxic Heavy Metals

B&G Foods, La Flor Herbs, Spices Toxic Heavy Metal Class Action Lawsuits Overview: 

• Who: Denise Dardarian and Brian Blassingame filed class action lawsuits against La Flor Products Company and B&G Foods, respectively. 
• Why: Dardarian and Blassingame claim La Flor and B&G respectively sell herbs and spices containing toxic heavy metals.
• Where: The class action lawsuits were filed separately in a New York and California federal court.

B&G Foods and La Flor Products Company are each facing a class action lawsuit alleging they manufactured and sold spices containing toxic heavy metals.
Plaintiff Denise Dardarian claims La Flor fails to list heavy metals, including arsenic and cadmium, as ingredients in the spices it sells.

Dardarian, who wants to represent a nationwide and California subclass of consumers who purchased and consumed the spices, claims exposure to toxic heavy metals causes a variety of adverse health effects.

The presence of toxic heavy metals in certain companies’ herbs and spices came to light following the results of an investigation revealed by Consumer Reports in November.

The report found one-third of the La Flor products tested were found to have high levels of arsenic, lead and cadmium, according to the class action lawsuit.

Dardarian argues that, had she known the spices contained heavy metals, she would not have purchased or consumed them. 

“As a result, the Spices’ labeling is deceptive and misleading,” the class action lawsuit states.

Dardarian claims La Flor is guilty of fraud and unjust enrichment and in violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law and Consumer Legal Remedies Act. 

Plaintiff is demanding a jury trial and requesting injunctive and declaratory relief, along with punitive and statutory damages for herself and all class members. 

B&G Herbs And Spices Contain ‘Heightened Levels’ Of Toxic Heavy Metals

Plaintiff Brian Blassingame, meanwhile, claims B&G sells herbs and spices under the brand names “Spice Islands” and “Tone’s” that contain “heightened levels” of toxic heavy metals. 

Blassingame, who wants to represent a nationwide class and subclass of California consumers, claims no “reasonable consumer” would know, or “have reason to know,” that the herbs and spices contained heavy metals. 

Further, Blassingame claims that, while other companies have sought to fix the issue of toxic heavy metal contamination, B&G has “stood idly by” with a “reckless disregard” for the health of consumers.

Blassingame claims B&G is guilty of unjust enrichment, among other things, and in violation of a number of California laws. He is demanding a jury trial and requesting preliminary and injunctive relief. 

A similar class action was filed last month against McCormick by consumers claiming some of its herbs and spices contain significant levels of toxic heavy metals. 

McCormick also agreed to a $3 million settlement last month, meant to resolve claims it falsely advertised certain of its seasoning products as “all natural.”

Have you purchased or consumed herbs and spices sold by La Flor or B&G? Let us know in the comments! 

Dardarian is represented by Jonathan Shub and Kevin Laukaitis of the Shub Law Firm LLC, and Gary E. Mason and Gary M. Klinger of Mason Lietz & Klinger, LLP. 

Blassingame is represented by L. Timothy Fisher and Sean L. Litteral of Bursor & Fisher, P.A. 

The B&G Foods, La Flor Herbs & Spices Toxic Heavy Metal Class Action Lawsuits are Dardarian v. La Flor Products Company, Inc., Case No. 2:22-cv-00547, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York; and Blassingame v. B&G Foods, Inc., Case No. 5:22-cv-00640, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. 

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