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Kraft Heinz Food Co. faces a $5 million potential class action lawsuit over claims that its “100% Grated Parmesan Cheese” contains nearly four percent filler that’s derived from wood chips.
Lead plaintiff Samantha Lewin says she filed the Kraft cheese class action lawsuit after spending $3.99 for a product she believed was accurately labeled as pure Parmesan, only to discover otherwise.
The Kraft class action lawsuit alleges that the “cheese” product was tested in an independent laboratory which found that 3.8 percent of the self-proclaimed “100%” Parmesan contained cellulose as well as an anti-clumping agent that is made from wood pulp.
Lewin states that she is not a sophisticated expert with knowledge of the development, composition and nature of Kraft Parmesan cheese and relied on the misleading label when making her purchase.
According to the Kraft lawsuit, the food manufacturer has been deceiving customers for years with different advertisements regarding its “100% Grated Parmesan Cheese.” In fact, the plaintiff points to various TV ads in the 1990s in which Kraft belittled competitors for using inferior fillers in their Parmesan cheese products.
Lewin says that Kraft is in breach of express warranty because its touted “100%” Parmesan cheese is substantially filled with cellulose and fillers.
The Kraft cheese class action lawsuit alleges potential Class Members suffered injury as a direct result of the breach of warranty because they would not have purchased the Parmesan product had they known “the true facts.” Lewin says she paid a premium for the Parmesan cheese even though it did not have the characteristics or qualities as promised.
This isn’t the first time that Kraft has faced lawsuits regarding the advertising of its cheese products. A recent class action lawsuit claimed the food maker used artificial ingredients in its “natural” fat-free cheddar cheese. The putative class action lawsuit is still pending in California federal court.
In addition, Heinz was hit with a class action lawsuit in January 2016 over allegations that its Heinz 57 sauce advertised as “manufactured in the U.S.A.” is actually made and/or contained components from outside of the United States. The plaintiff in the Heinz class action lawsuit claimed to have paid $6.29 for a bottle of the sauce because of its “Made in USA” claims.
If approved, the Kraft class action lawsuit would be open to all Class Members in the U.S. who purchased Kraft’s “100% Grated Parmesan Cheese.” Lewin would also like to represent a subclass of individuals who purchased the product in the State of California.
The Kraft class action lawsuit is seeking financial compensation for Class Members as well as punitive damages and injunctive relief for a California subclass under California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act.
The plaintiff is represented by Scott A. Bursor, L. Timothy Fisher, Annick M. Persinger and Yeremey Krivoshey of Bursor & Fisher PA.
The Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese Class Action Lawsuit is Lewin v. Kraft Heinz Foods Co., Case No. 3:16-cv-00823, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
UPDATE: On June 2, 2016, The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has consolidated 16 class action lawsuits that allege the labeling and marketing of certain parmesan cheese products as “100% Grated Parmesan Cheese” is false and misleading because the products allegedly contain cellulose as a filler.
UPDATE 2: On Nov. 1, 2018, a federal judge determined that only some of the allegations in a Kraft, Walmart parmesan cheese multidistrict litigationwill move forward.
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112 thoughts onKraft’s ‘100%’ Parmesan Cheese Contains Wood Chips, Class Action Says
I have been buying it for years and was never satisfied with the taste.
I have been buy Kraft Parmesan Cheese for years. I thought the no brands have more filler in them so I never bought them. I have found that the real wedge Parmesan taste better if u dont mind shredding it manually. Same oz. as the can.
Been using this product and many others from Kraft from as far back as I can remember 40+ years, my father also used this product all his life feeding his family, I’m appalled by the deceptive practices these companies are aloud to get away with. When are we going to truly put an end to this, no amount of money, or profits are worth the health of the American People. I will never use Kraft products again, nor will any of my family.
FDA needs to do more for labeling practices to combat companies putting dangerous ingredients in our food and selling it as safe.
I have this in my lunch right now for my spaghetti and I also have a large container in my refrigerator. I pray this is not true as it would be known as committing fraud. Hope this matter is addressed seriously.
OMG… People read the front & IGNORED the word immiately following -100%- ?? Reading the WORDING I knew the following: #1. That there is no solid pieces in the container, because 100% of it has been GRATED. #2. I purchase this NEXT TO MY SPAGHETTIs SAUCE, so that -immediately- tells me that this could never be an ALL-CHEESE product. And for all of us that have been in any school–private or public–past the 6th Grade mandatory science classes, you would then know what CELLUOSE is; and it is NOT -wood chips-. That thought is equal to making people think ALL SILICAS are beach/desert sand. But if you do think this, I hope you never visit ANY fast-food restaurants or get any bottled water–b/c cellulose & silica are in all fast food crap & silica in your finest bottles–sparkling or still ;)
What ever happened to truth in advertizing? For more than 60 years our family has bought Kraft Grated Cheese as a staple of our meals. My Grandmother always said -You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die – I didn’t realize that there would be so much outside help. Why in the sake of convenience are processors poisoning their own customers.
Great taste if you like tree bark salad. What a damn shame that companies fatten their wallets while substituting rubbish as a filler to save x$ per ton. The cheese now has a gummy, stick to the roof of the mouth texture. The true cheese flavor is all but gone.
Money ISNT the root of all evil…people are! Get that thru your thick skulls…
I agree that the consumer is to blame. We should be reading the ingredients (after all, that’s why they are listed) and if you don’t understand the meaning of it, look it up! BUYER BEWARE. It’s a very old phrase but holds true even more today. If we didn’t want all these conveniences, inexpensive food in mass quantities, then companies would not be manufacturing it. Thank the agriculture system. Until we go back to eating local foods, this will never stop.
The LOVE of money is the root of all evil.
I use this all the time on my spaghetti, but not anymore. Thats disgusting and dishonest. I will buy fresh only from now on.
Have been using your product for over 50years.You people should be ashamed.