Dollar General class action claims retailer misrepresents amount of whole grain graham flour in graham crackers

Dollar General class action overview: 

• Who: A graham cracker consumer is suing Dollar General over its Clover Valley crackers.
• Why: The plaintiff says the company’s Honey Graham Crackers are falsely marketed.
• Where: The lawsuit was filed in a New York federal court.

Dollar General falsely markets its Honey Graham Crackers as being predominantly made with whole grains and honey, when the ingredient list shows the main ingredients are enriched flour and sugar, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

Plaintiff Leonard Brockington filed the class action lawsuit against Dollar General Corporation Aug. 5, alleging violations of state consumer laws. 

Brockington says Dollar General makes and sells crackers purporting to be made predominantly with whole grain graham flour and sweetened primarily with honey under its Clover Valley brand.

However, he alleges the products’ labeling gives consumers the false impression the product contains whole grain graham flour and honey as its “primary” grain and sweetening ingredient, instead of the enriched flour and sugar it actually contains.

It does this with labeling including the representations, “Made with Real Honey” and “Contains 8g of whole grain per serving,” Brockington says. 

Dollar General Clover Valley graham crackers have misleading labels, lawsuit alleges

According to the lawsuit, consumers increasingly prefer whole grains to non-whole grains. 

Brockington says Dollar General is trading off this preference to increase the prices of its graham crackers by advertising them as whole grain. 

He says, while graham flour is a whole grain, the ingredient list in small print on the side of the box reveals “Enriched Flour” is the predominant flour, listed ahead of “Graham Flour.”

Similarly, he says that the crackers are sweetened predominantly by sugar, not honey, as shown on the ingredients list. Sugar is listed higher on the list than honey. 

Brockington is looking to represent a New York Class of consumers who bought the product, plus a Class of consumers from Alaska, Maine, Utah and Georgia. He’s suing under New York and state consumer laws, as well as for fraud. 

Brockington is seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees and costs. 

Family Dollar is also facing a class action lawsuit alleging it misrepresents that its Clover Valley brand Fudge Mint Cookies contain actual fudge and mint. 

Meanwhile, a New York ShopRite customer alleges the store’s Bowl & Basket-brand graham crackers contain misleading representation on the label regarding its whole grain content since the product is predominantly made of non-whole grain flour.

What do you think of the allegations in this Dollar General class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments! 

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

The Dollar General Clover Valley Crackers Class Action Lawsuit is Leonard Brockington v. Dollar General Corporation, Case No. 1:22-cv-06666 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. 

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