Whole Foods Class Action Says Graham Crackers Need More Honey

A class action lawsuit claims that Whole Foods Market’s Organic 365 Graham Crackers are advertised as being sweetened primarily with honey, when in fact they are sweetened more with sugar.

Plaintiff Chandra Campbell says that, in addition to this misleading marketing, Whole Foods states that their graham crackers contain a predominant amount of whole grain graham flour when they actually contain more non-whole grain flour.

The plaintiff states that Whole Foods represents that honey is the exclusive significant sweetener in the products, however the products are actually sweetened primarily with sugar and not honey.

The Whole Foods class action claims that consumers are attempting to avoid consuming products that have added sugar and that a significant consumer preference is to eat products that use honey as a sugar substitute.

“At least in part due to growing consumer awareness of health problems caused by excessive sugar consumption, in recent years consumers have shown a distinct preference for products with little or no added sugar,” alleges the Whole Foods class action lawsuit.

Campbell states that honey is a naturally occurring substance that has small amounts of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Additionally, honey has a lower glycemic index than sugar, which means that it causes slower fluctuations in blood glucose levels, according to the plaintiff.

The plaintiff claims that, due to these benefits, consumers put a higher value on products that are sweetened with honey than products that don’t and will pay a higher price for these types of products.

The Whole Foods class action argues that a product which shows a honey dipper in a bowl of honey, like that shown on the product at issue, conveys to a reasonable consumer that the product is mostly sweetened with honey and not sugar.

“The branding and packaging of ‘Honey Graham Crackers’ is not accurate or justifiable on the basis that honey is expected to substantively contribute to the Product’s nutritive value, in contrast to its presence in an amount more akin to a flavor,” the Whole Foods class action lawsuit states.

In addition to the fact that the honey grahams are sweetened with a predominant amount of sugar over honey, the Whole Foods class action lawsuit claims that the name “Honey Graham Crackers” gives consumers the false impression that whole grain graham flour is the predominant ingredient in the crackers.

“Because the ‘Graham’ in ‘Honey Graham Crackers’ refers to whole grain flour, reasonable consumers expect a food identified in this way to have more whole grains than if the main ingredient was enriched flour,” the Whole Foods class action lawsuit states.

Campbell claims that consumers look for products that contain whole grains over those refined with white flour because they contain more fiber. The plaintiff argues that reasonable consumers expect products that are represented with “whole grain” claims will provide at least 10 percent of the recommended daily intake of fiber.

The plaintiff alleges that, had she known the truth about the contents of the Whole Foods’ Honey Graham Crackers, she would not have purchased it or would have paid less for it.

Did you purchase Whole Foods’ Honey Graham Crackers? If so, leave a message in the comments section below.

The plaintiff is represented by Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates.

The Whole Foods Honey Graham Cracker Class Action Lawsuit is Campbell v. Whole Foods Market Group Inc., Case No. 1:20-cv-01291, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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