Bhuja Snacks Class Action Says Ancient Grain Twists are Mostly Rice

A class action lawsuit accuses a snack company of making their Ancient Grain Twists snack from rice and peas.

Plaintiff Danielle Louis alleges that Majans America LLC’s snacks, sold under the brand Majans Bhuja Snacks, are not made primarily of ancient grains, as advertising suggests. Louis claims that the snacks are in fact made primarily from peas and rice, which are not ancient grains.

The false advertising class action lawsuit defines ancient grains as “grains and pseudocereals which have been little changed by selective breeding over recent millennia.”

According to the class action, ancient grains include “spelt, Kamut (Khorasan wheat), millet, barley, teff, freekeh, bulgar, sorghum, farrow (emmer) and einkorn.” The Majans false advertising class action lawsuit alleges that pseudocereals that fall under the category of ancient grains include “quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, and chia.”

Louis claims that peas and rice, which are the primary ingredients in the Majans Bhuja Snacks, are not ancient grains. The Ancient Grain Twists class action states that “modern-day rice is produced through milling, which removes the husk, bran layer, and germ to produce a white rice kernel,” and does not qualify as an ancient grain.

The plaintiff argues that many consumers seek out ancient grain products for their health benefits, including the fact that they tend to come in their “whole” form which leaves the endosperm intact, their high fiber and protein content, their high vitamin and mineral content, and the fact that they are gluten-free.

The Majans Ancient Grain Twists class action lawsuit argues that including rice as the main ingredient in the snack products denies consumers the benefits that they seek out when they purchase ancient grain products — modern rice, especially in the form in which it appears in the Majans snacks, is highly processed and does not possess the health benefits consumers look for in ancient grains.

The Majans class action goes on to note that the other main ingredient in the snack is peas, which are not grains at all, much less an ancient grain. Louis states that peas are legumes, which also do not provide the particular health benefits consumers look for when they purchase ancient grain products.

The Ancient Grain Twists misrepresentation class action lawsuit notes that the Majans Bhuja Snacks do contain ancient grains, including chia and quinoa; however, they appear in such small quantities that the products cannot be truthfully represented as “Ancient Grain Twists,” as they are currently advertised.

Louis claims that the company aims to capitalize on consumers’ preference for ancient grains products by marketing them as such, and subsequently charges a “premium,” higher price for the products. She says she would not have bought the snack product, or would not have paid as much for it, had she known that it contained primarily peas and rice, as opposed to ancient grains.

The plaintiff is represented by Joshua Levin-Epstein of Levin-­Epstein & Associates PC and Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC.

The Majans Bhuja Snacks Ancient Grain Twists Class Action Lawsuit is Danielle Louis v. MJS America LLC, Case No. 1:18-cv-01046, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.