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A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against Quaker Oats alleging the company has falsely advertised its oats as “100% Natural” when they actually contain a probable carcinogen, as classified by the World Health Organization.
Plaintiff Lewis Daly filed the class action lawsuit against Quaker Oats in New York federal court on behalf of himself and others who were misled by Quaker’s product claims that are “false, deceptive, and misleading.”
Daly claims that Quaker “aggressively advertises and promotes its oatmeal products as ‘100% Natural,’ and claims its oats are grown using ‘eco-friendly’ methods that pose ‘less risk of pollutants and groundwater pollution.’”
The main cause of concern over Quaker Oats’ unnatural ingredients center around a chemical called glyphosate. Glyphosate is a chemical herbicide that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared last year is a probable human carcinogen.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the popular weed killer Roundup, manufactured by the Monsanto Company.
The pesticide has been growing in popularity and its use has increased with the introduction of many genetically modified crops (also known as GMOs), such as soy, corn, canola and sugar beets. These GMO crops are engineered to withstand the use of the strong herbicide so only weeds pests are killed and the crop remains intact, however, the pesticide residue remains on the crops.
Glyphosate has not only been classified as a possible carcinogen, but recent research suggests that this chemical found in most commercially grown, non-organic food can significantly alter the bacterial landscape in the human gut, where most of the body’s immune function resides, by interfering with key enzymatic processes.
However, the lawsuit takes issue with the deceptive product marketing, not the nature of the chemical found in the product itself.
“There is nothing unlawful about Quaker Oats’ growing and processing methods. What is unlawful is Quaker’s claim that Quaker Oats is something that it is not in order to capitalize in growing consumer demand for healthful, natural products,” the claim asserted.
The plaintiff says that Quaker’s allegedly deceptive practices are essentially self-serving. “By deceiving consumers about the nature, quality, and/or ingredients of its Quaker Oats, Quaker is able to sell a greater volume of Quaker Oats, to charge higher prices for Quaker Oats, and to take away market share from competing products, thereby increasing its own sales and profits.”
Daly contends that Quaker Oats has violated New York General Business Law for mislabeling, failure to warn, and falsely advertising their products. He has also alleges the company has breached its express warranty and has unjustly enriched itself.
“Across all Quaker Oats products, Quaker conceals the presence of glyphosate, fails to warn consumers of the presence of glyphosate, and fails to warn consumers about the harmful effects of ingesting glyphosate,” Daly claims.
In addition to Class certification of a New York class, Daly is also seeking relief from Quaker Oats in the form of a refund to eligible Class Members who have purchased the allegedly falsely advertised products. He is also seeking “a court-ordered corrective advertising campaign to inform the public of the true nature of Quaker’s carcinogen-contaminated oats.”
The plaintiff is represented by Kim E. Richman of The Richman Law Group.
The Quaker Oats False Advertising Class Action Lawsuit is Lewis Daly v. The Quaker Oats Company, Case No. 1:16-cv-02155, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
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32 thoughts onQuaker Oats Class Action Claims Oatmeal is Not ‘100% Natural’
I have eaten this for years. A new box in pantry please add me.
I have been eating this for years, and more for the nutritional balance, and to lower my cholesterol. Please add me.
My beef is not with Quaker oats. I don’t eat them. But I have ingested LARGE quantities of Stacy’s Pita Chips, which supposedly have a relatively large amount of glyphosate.
My concern and suspect is that it caused my kidney cancer.
Anyone else have similar experience?
I eat this crap EVERYDAY!!! AND, I’VE BEEN SICK EVERYDAY (doctors believe it’s all in my head), but NOW, I know why. It is a shame that EVERYTHING is about profit (at the expense of the AMERICAN PEOPLE’s health). This is criminal, and it is about time to hold these unethical companies accountable! COUNT ME IN!!
Have been a faithful consumer of this, Count me in
I need in on this is what my family and I eat 3 times a week. To find this out is disgusting.
EVERY single day I make a shake (no milk, just using water) for me and my mother who just retired, and I use about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of Quaker oats every single day for about two years. I’ve use Steel Cut oats and the Old Fashion oats from them and only them for 2 maybe more years! Sure ‘the amount is so low it doesn’t even register in some tests’, but, I would bet that consumers eat more than one product made on a farm every day. Trying to buy natural these days from a store? “Organic”!?! …don’t even get me started, what a joke. This only confirms what I’ve felt and assumed (yes, with all the good and bad from ‘assuming’) for years about the food BUSINESS. Even ‘Natural’ stores, they jack up the price purely for profit. Half a pound of hemp seeds cost me $12-$14 out the door (used in one week), I bet in a few years when there is more hemp seed in the market place they could drop the price by half and STILL make a profit but they don’t cause they know people will pay. Unless you know of a health store that is actually in business FOR THE PEOPLE, some health stores I’ve been to don’t even know what their products do or contain, they just know it says “All Natural”, “Organic”, “Non-GMO”, and that it will $ELL like crack, literally!
THE ONLY WAY TO BE SURE OF A FOOD PRODUCT IS TO GROW IT YOURSELF! Even if that means buying a little calf, raising them from birth, ‘get’ as much as you can out of her (SAFELY and CONSCIENTIOUSLY), then after a long life make a few hundred pounds of hamburger meat or whatever. You get the picture, honestly, that is the only way to really be sure of “where” your food came from, more and more it’s going from an infeasible option to a very real, safer (for you and your fam) option.
‘But what about veggies?’ …you say. I have my doubts that EVEN if you bought veggie seeds and grew them, they can easily be pollinated in their lifetime WITH strains from GMO plants. Or, how do you know that the seeds you grow from scratch aren’t already GMO’s?
All of this makes me sick.
Agreed
I eat this stuff all the time. It is suppose to help with cholesterol and blood sugar.
We have been eating this for YEARS AND YEARS, at least 4 times a week. please let me know when and how to file a claim.
Mi familia y yo comemos todos los días está cereal y sus derivados que bárbaros son . Podemos prácticamente morir.
Unbelieveable, my family and I eat this oatmeal several times a week; deeply disappointed in the product and the deception to the public.