Class Action Lawsuit Says Hebrew National Products Aren’t Kosher

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.

A group of consumers have filed a federal class action lawsuit against ConAgra Foods, Inc. claiming its Hebrew National hot dogs and other Hebrew National brand products aren’t kosher, even though they’re labeled as such.

The ConAgra class action lawsuit alleges that meat processing services provided to ConAgra by privately held AER Services, Inc. didn’t meet the standards necessary to label Hebrew National products as kosher. As a result, ConAgra misled consumers and was able to charge them premium prices.

According to the Hebrew National class action lawsuit, filed by 11 consumers in May, ConAgra marks Hebrew National packages with a “Triangle K” symbol, representing that the contents are kosher “as defined by the most stringent Jews who follow Orthodox Jewish law.” It also uses the slogan “We answer to a higher authority.”

Despite the labeling claims, the class action lawsuit alleges AER supervisors “did little or nothing” to address employee complaints that the meat processed for ConAgra was non-kosher. The complaint also alleges AER terminated or threatened retaliation against those who complained.

AER, surprisingly, is not named as a Defendant in the ConAgra class action lawsuit. AER’s president told reporters, “The allegations in the complaint regarding AER are completely and utterly false. There is no basis for them, and they are without any merit.”

The Plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages for alleged negligence and violations of state consumer fraud laws, as well as an injunction barring ConAgra from further mislabeling. It is also seeking class action status for U.S. consumers who purchased Hebrew National products over the last four years.

A spokeswoman for ConAgra said in a statement: “While we can’t comment on pending litigation, we stand behind the quality of Hebrew National and its kosher status.”

ConAgra is the subject of another class action lawsuit filed last year over allegations it deceptively marketed its Wesson brand vegetable oils as “100% Natural.”

The ConAgra Hebrew National Class Action Lawsuit case is Wallace, et al. v. ConAgra Foods, Inc., Case No. 12-01354, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota.

UPDATE: On Oct. 6, 2014, a Minnesota judge dismissed the Hebrew National class action lawsuit after finding that courts are constitutionally barred from ruling on fundamentally religious questions.