Jessy Edwards  |  August 13, 2021

Category: Food

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Hormel, Hormel lawsuit
(Photo Credit: Keith Homan/Shutterstock)

Hormel Lean Bacon Class Action Lawsuit Overview:

  • Who: Consumers have sued Hormel Foods and Hormel Foods Sales over alleged deceptive marketing practices.
  • Why: The plaintiffs claim Hormel justified the price increase of a bacon product by describing the product as containing less fat content than it did previously, when the company simply decreased the serving size.
  • Where: The lawsuit is being heard in federal court in Northern California.

Hormel ramped up the price of one of its bacon’s offerings, claiming it contained less fat, when in reality, it only had less fat due to a reduced serving size, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiffs Diane Dakin, Deborah Despain, and Marilyn Curren filed the class action against Hormel Foods Sales, LLC, and Hormel Foods, LLC, last Friday, alleging violations of warranty law and consumer law.

They’re looking to represent anyone who bought Hormel Black Label Center Cut Bacon in California any time between Aug. 6, 2017 to now.

The plaintiffs allege Hormel engaged in deceptive marketing practices to misrepresent Center Cut bacon through the nutritional claim “Contains 25% Less Fat Than Our Regular Bacon” featured in the front panel of each product. 

They say the claim leads the typical consumer to think Center Cut is a premium product that should command a higher per-pound price because it is 25 percent leaner than other Black Label bacon. 

However, the plaintiffs alleges the bacon is not leaner than any Black Label bacon product.

Instead, to justify the “25 percent less fat” claim, Center Cut advertises the amount of fat contained in a smaller, 15 gram, serving of Center Cut bacon, compared to the amount of fat contained in significantly larger serving sizes of Hormel Original bacon, the class action lawsuit alleges.

“Much of the fat savings being advertised on Center Cut bacon are due to a reduction in the serving size that Hormel uses for Center Cut bacon vis-à-vis Original bacon – not due to Center Cut bacon being 25% leaner than Original bacon,” the plaintiffs say.

“Hormel’s label asks consumers to eat less Center Cut bacon to consume less while paying a premium price for this privilege.”

As a result, consumers who purchase Center Cut bacon end up with a product that is not as lean as they were led to believe, while paying more for it, the class action says.

The plaintiffs say some consumers have expressed their disappointment on the web page Hormel maintains for Center Cut bacon with comments such as, “The ‘showcase’ piece looked pretty good but the rest of the package was mainly fat!,” and “If this is 25 percent less fat than your normal bacon, your regular bacon must be nothing but fat!”

The plaintiffs say Hormel’s conduct violates the Consumer Legal Remedies Act and several California and federal statutes including California’s False Advertising Laws and the Sherman Food Law. 

They are seeking certification of the Class, damages, costs, fees and a jury trial. 

Hormel faced another class action lawsuit last year, when plaintiffs claimed that SPAM Lite and SPAM 25% Less Sodium’s labeling misrepresented the canned meat products as being healthier than they actually are.

What do you think of Hormel’s marketing techniques? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiffs are represented by Robert S. Green. James Robert Noblin and Emrah M. Sumer of Green & Noblin, P.C.

The Hormel Lean Bacon Class Action Lawsuit is Dakin et al., v. Hormel Foods Sales, LLC, et al., Case No. 3:21-cv-06085 in the U.S. District Court Northern District of California


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540 thoughts onHormel ‘Less Fat’ Bacon Only Had Less Fat Due to Smaller Portion Size, Class Action Claims

  1. JOE EZELL says:

    Please add me

  2. Teri says:

    Please add me

  3. Ed Forcier says:

    I buy it at Shaws. Please add me

  4. Paula Stafford says:

    Please add me. I do buy this brand

  5. Scott K Linman says:

    Please add me and my spouse. We are Keto dieters so we consume alit of Hornet bacon. We would like to be included.

  6. Bonnie Aanonsen says:

    Please add me

  7. tammy Quintana says:

    Please add me! I buy this because my husband has high blood pressure! Lies!

    1. Bonnie Aanonsen says:

      Please add me

  8. Tamara Walters says:

    I filed my case with this lawsuit and have not heard anything. Is there a settlement reached at this time?

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