Trader Joe’s Class Action Says Maple Cereals Falsely Advertised

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Trader Joe’s is facing a potential class action lawsuit over allegations that the grocery store chain falsely markets certain oatmeal and cereal products as containing “maple,” when they in fact do not contain maple syrup or maple sugar.

Plaintiffs Michael Stiles and Alexander Vuckovic claim that Trader Joe’s promotes Trader Joe’s Frosted Maple and Brown Sugar Shredded Bite-Sized Wheats as well as Trader Joe’s Oatmeal Complete Maple and Brown Sugar as containing “maple” when that ingredient is not found within either cereal.

The Trader Joe’s lawsuit states that this amounts to false advertising, leading customers to overpay for a premium product that was not as advertised.

According to the class action, “maple syrup contains an abundant amount of naturally occurring minerals such as calcium, manganese, potassium, and magnesium.” Additionally, “they [maple sugars] are preferred over other sweeteners for a variety of reasons related to taste, quality, health benefits, and other reasons.”

The Trader Joe’s class action alleges that the grocer deliberately misrepresents these products as containing real maple syrup and maple sugar. The text of the complaint contains photographs of the packaging of these products to illustrate the fact that the word “maple” is prominently used on the packaging despite the fact that the products allegedly contain no trace of “maple.”

The plaintiffs say that not only does this deceive customers, but that it harms the makers of real maple products.

The Trader Joe’s lawsuit cites a statement by the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association that reads: “This unchecked misbranding has an adverse impact on manufacturers of products containing real maple syrup, as it allows cheaper products not containing premium ingredients to compete with those actually containing maple syrup.”

The plaintiffs are seeking to recoup the profits from the sales of the maple products, an injunction to prevent Trader Joe’s from continuing to market these products in this way, reimbursement for legal fees, and requiring Trader Joe’s to inform their customers of the situation by providing notices.

If approved, the Trader Joe’s class action lawsuit would be open to all U.S. Class Members who purchased either Trader Joe’s Frosted Maple and Brown Sugar Shredded Bite-Sized Wheats or Trader Joe’s Oatmeal Complete Maple and Brown Sugar in the past four years. The plaintiffs are also seeking to represent a subclass of California residents who bought either cereal.

Stiles and Vuckovic are represented by David C. Parisi and Suzanne Havens Beckman of Parish & Havens LLP; Yitzchak H. Lieberman of Parasmo Lieberman Law; David Pastor of the Pastor Law Office LLP; and Preston W. Leonard of the Leonard Law Office, PC.

The Trader Joe’s Maple Cereal Class Action Lawsuit is Michael Stiles, et al. v. Trader Joe’s Company, et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-04318, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.