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Trader Joe’s tricks customers into thinking its organic corn flakes cereal is healthier than it actually is by disguising sugar as “evaporated cane juice,” according to a class action lawsuit.
Plaintiff Jennifer Lopez-Barnett says she’s among many consumers who are avoiding excess sugar in foods due to its link to health problems including diabetes, obesity and even heart disease.
The Trader Joe’s class action claims that the second ingredient in its store brand organic corn flakes is evaporated cane juice, which at first glance may seem like it’s derived from a fruit or vegetable.
The plaintiff says that evaporated cane juice is simply sugar and most consumers trying to shun added sugars would not purchase a cereal that included sugar as its second main ingredient.
“The Product’s deceptive labeling is especially egregious because defendant is a grocery store with a reputation for selling health food products of high nutritional quality,” the Trader Joe’s class action states.
Lopez-Barnett says she paid a premium price of $3.29 for a 12 oz. box of Trader Joe’s Organic Corn Flakes because of the misleading ingredient label.
The Trader Joe’s class action claims that had Lopez-Barnett realized that the corn flakes contained added sugar she would not have bought the cereal or would have paid less for it.
The plaintiff alleges that Trader Joe’s has an obligation to inform customers in a non-misleading way about the true nature of ingredients in its corn flakes product.
“The representations took advantage of consumers’ (1) cognitive shortcuts made at the point-of-sale and (2) trust placed in defendant, a well-known and respected brand in this sector,” the Trader Joe’s Organic Corn Flakes class action states.
Lopez-Barnett also notes in her class action lawsuit that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded in 2016 that using cane juice instead of sugar in the food industry is deceptive.
“The term ‘evaporated cane juice’ is false or misleading because it suggests that the sweetener is ‘juice’ or is made from ‘juice’ and does not reveal that its basic nature and characterizing properties are those of a sugar,” the FDA stated.
Trader Joe’s is also facing similar class action allegations that its organic oats & flax instant oatmeal contains hidden sugar disguised as “organic dehydrated cane juice solids.”
Lopez-Barnett seeks to represent a nationwide Class of Trader Joe’s customers who were deceived by the ingredient list on the organic corn flakes box.
Have you been tricked by the phrase “evaporated cane juice” on a product label? Share your experience with us in the comment section below.
The plaintiff is represented by Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC and Peter N. Wasylyk of Law Offices of Peter N. Wasylyk.
The Trader Joe’s Organic Corn Flakes Class Action Lawsuit is Lopez-Barnett v. Trader Joe’s Company, Case No. 7:19-cv-11469, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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244 thoughts onTrader Joe’s Class Action Says Corn Flakes Contain Hidden Sugar
OMG! This is a frivolous lawsuit and should be tossed out. READ the label, and if you don’t know what something is, LOOK IT UP. Ignorance is NO excuse.