Dollar Tree, Amazon class actions claim retailers sell false glucosamine sulfate supplements

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Glucosamine sulfate class action lawsuits overview: 

• Who: Jonathan Perry filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc. and Whole Foods Market IP Inc., while Robert B. Shields filed a class action lawsuit against Dollar Tree Inc. 
• Why: Amazon and Dollar Tree are accused of selling glucosamine products labeled as glucosamine sulfate when the product actually contains a combination of glucosamine hydrochloride and potassium sulfate. 
• Where: The class action lawsuits were filed in California federal court. 
• What are my options: Try eVitamins for alternate supplements.

Amazon and Dollar Tree have been accused separately, in two class action lawsuits, of violating federal and state law by allegedly selling glucosamine sulfate supplements that don’t actually contain any glucosamine sulfate. 

Plaintiffs Jonathan Perry and Robert B. Shields claim Amazon and Dollar Tree, respectively, are selling “counterfeit glucosamine sulfate supplements” that, in reality, contain a combination of glucosamine hydrochloride and potassium sulfate. 

The plaintiffs argue the companies fail to disclose this on the product labeling, and that, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), glucosamine products with glucosamine hydrochloride “do not seem to work as well.” 

“A reasonable consumer would believe, as Plaintiffs did, that the label statements regarding the identity, quantity, and purity of the Affected Products would be truthful and not deceptive or misleading,” the Amazon and Dollar Tree class action lawsuits state. 

Perry wants to represent a nationwide class and California subclass of consumers who have purchased Solimo glucosamine sulfate products, while Shields wants to represent a nationwide class and California subclass of consumers who have purchased Nature’s Measure glucosamine sulfate products. 

Glucosamine sulfate products ‘clinically preferred’ to those with glucosamine hydrochloride, lawsuits say

Products containing glucosamine sulfate are both “clinically preferred” and “believed to be more effective” than glucosamine hydrochloride, allowing the former to sell for more than other glucosamine products, the Amazon and Dollar Tree class action lawsuits allege. 

The plaintiffs both cite the NIH, which they argue states “some researchers believe that glucosamine hydrochloride might not work as well as glucosamine sulfate.” 

The researchers, according to the plaintiffs, believe the “sulfate” part “is the important factor” in the products, due to it being what the body needs to produce cartilage. 

The plaintiffs accuse Amazon and Dollar of unjust enrichment and breach of warranty, and of violating California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act, Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law. 

Perry and Shields are both demanding a jury trial and requesting declaratory and injunctive relief, along with an award of actual, statutory, exemplary, treble and punitive damages for themselves and all class members. 

Dollar Tree has been the target of a class action before.

A consumer filed a separate class action lawsuit against Dollar Tree in 2020, arguing the discount variety store misled its customers into believing its almond milk was flavored with vanilla. 

Have you purchased glucosamine sulfate products from Amazon or Dollar Tree? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Jingxin Li of the Law Office of Jason Li PC. 

The glucosamine class action lawsuits are Perry, et al. v. Amazon.com Inc., et al., Case No. 3:23-cv-00951, and Shields, et al. v. Dollar Tree Inc., Case No. 3:23-cv-00925, both in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

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