Not Enough Lemon In Stauffer’s Lemon Snaps, Class Action Claims

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Stauffer’s Lemon Snaps cookies don’t contain enough real lemon, and the company that produces them uses yellow food coloring to make them look more lemony than they actually are, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

Plaintiff Heather Rudy filed the complaint against D.F. Stauffer Biscuit Company Inc. on Saturday, claiming violations of Illinois consumer law, fraud, breach of warranty and unjust enrichment.

Rudy says Stauffer sells “Lemon Snaps” —  flat, brittle drop cookies — purporting to be flavored from lemons when they are not.

She says, while the recipe contains a negligible amount of lemon, the cookies packaging contains misleading representations, including the words “Lemon Snaps” on a yellow background, “Original Recipe,” and pictures of the cookies next to freshly-picked lemons. 

Rudy alleges there has been an increased popularity in lemons, as their price and average consumption has risen consistently over the past three decades relative to other fruits. 

Therefore, consumers expected the cookies to contain a larger amount of lemon ingredients than they actually do, based on the representations. 

“Since consumers are accustomed to foods which seem to all say ‘naturally flavored’ or ‘artificially flavored,’ they will expect the unqualified ‘Lemon Snaps’ with pictures of lemons, contains lemon ingredients,” she says. 

However, the ingredient list in the fine print on the back reveals the product contains no appreciable amount of lemon, she says. 

“The Product’s ‘Natural and Artificial Flavor’ consists of flavor compounds which imitate the taste provided by real lemons, but with a de minimis amount of lemon, if any.”

She also says the company has added yellow food coloring to the recipe to make the cookies look more lemony.

“Had Plaintiff and proposed class members known the truth, they would not have bought the Product or would have paid less for it,” she says.

She’s looking to represent a Class of all Illinois residents who purchased the cookies during the statute of limitations. She’s seeking certification of the class action, an injunction, damages, costs, expenses and a jury trial.

This class action comes after another from the same law firm alleging Whole Foods sells a Lemon Raspberry Italian Sparkling Mineral Water that is not lemony enough and contains a negligible amount of raspberries.

The multi-state lawsuit was filed in New York federal court, and alleges that Whole Foods Market violated state and federal laws in advertising its sparkling water.

Do you think these cookies should contain lemon, based on the marketing? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Sheehan & Associates, P.C. /s/Spencer Sheehan

The D F Stauffer Lemon Cookie Class Action Lawsuit is Heather Rudy et al. v. D F Stauffer Biscuit Co Inc, Case No. 1:21-cv-03938, in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• BREAKING: Haagen-Dazs, Kirkland Ice Cream Bars Made With Vegetable Oil, Claim Class Action Lawsuits
• Recall Check: Uncle Wally’s, The Worthy Crumb, and Other Muffins Recalled Due to Possible Listeria Contamination
• Judge Says Kraft Heinz’s Maxwell House, Yuban Coffee Settlement Is ‘Good to the Last Drop’
• Recall Check: Oysters from Washington’s Samish Bay Recalled Due to Vibrio Outbreak