Carrington Farms Class Action Challenges ‘Healthy’ Coconut Oil Label

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 class action lawsuit filed against Carrington Tea Company LLC alleges the company misleadingly markets its coconut cooking oils “as both healthy, and a healthy alternative to butter and various cooking oils,” when in fact they are not.

The complaint also contends that Carrington Farms’ advertising violates federal food regulations and California consumer protection laws.

The Carrington Farms coconut oil class action asserts that coconut oils are high in saturated fat and this is bad, because diets high in saturated have been linked to heart disease.

The complaint cites numerous reports and studies from the Institute of Medicine and others which found that “there is ‘no safe level’ of saturated fat intake” and that “[t]here is no evidence to indicate that saturated fatty acids are essential in the diet or have a beneficial role in the prevention of chronic diseases.”

Similarly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued guidance that people should reduce their intake of saturated fats by replacing tropical oils, such as coconut oil, with vegetable oils.

The complaint also cites studies specific to coconut oil. One study done over the course of a year found that “reducing coconut oil consumption ‘results in a lipid profile that is associated with a low cardiovascular risk.’” According to the class action, another study discovered that even one meal high in coconut oil showed a negative effect on the patients’ HDL, or good cholesterol.

Yet another scientific study found that consuming coconut oil was worse for increasing bad cholesterol than both beef fat and safflower oil. The complaint states that “[i]n short, consuming saturated fat increases the risk of CHD [cardiovascular heart disease] and stroke.”

Despite these almost universal findings and recommendations to limit consumption of saturated fat and coconut oil, the class action asserts that Carrington Farms advertises its coconut oil products as healthy. The complaint contains pages of pictures of various coconut oils from Carrington Farms, most of which make claims such as “a healthy cooking oil,” “use as a replacement for butter or fat,” and “perfect for healthy high heat cooking.” The labels of several containers, such as Carrington Farms Extra Virgin Coconut Oil make the claim that “[c]oconut oil has been described by nutritionists as, ‘The healthiest oil on earth.’”

The complaint argues that the advertising by Carrington Farms is deceptive and misleading under California law. The class action notes that of the 130 calories in a serving of coconut oil, all 130 are from fat. More importantly, of the 14 grams of fat in a serving, 12 of them are saturated fat. The complaint asserts that the advertising on its labels, when taken as a whole, is “false and misleading because the Carrington Farms Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is actually unhealthy due to its high saturated fat content.”

The false advertising lawsuit requests certification of a Class of all persons in California who purchased any Carrington Farms coconut oil products for personal or household use. The class action seeks damages for potential Class Members, including compensatory and punitive damages. In addition, the plaintiffs ask for an injunction requiring Carrington Farms to stop its false advertising and engage in a corrective advertising campaign.

Plaintiffs Elizabeth Zemola and Matthew Beaumont are represented by Paul K. Joseph of The Law Office of Paul K. Joseph and Jack Fitzgerald, Trevor M. Flynn and Melanie Persinger of The Law Office of Jack Fitzgerald PC.

The Carrington Farms Coconut Oil Class Action Lawsuit is Elizabeth Zemola, et al. v. Carrington Tea Company LLC, Case No. 3:17-cv-00760, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.