Harris Teeter, Kroger, other retailers face cereal bar class actions

Cereal bar class actions overview: 

• Who: Consumers recently filed class action lawsuits against grocers Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Albertsons and Kroger. 
• Why: The class action lawsuits claim the companies falsely advertised cereal bar products as being naturally flavored despite containing the synthetic ingredient  DL-malic acid. 
• Where: The cereal bar class actions were filed in U.S. federal courts. 

Consumers recently filed class action lawsuits against grocery store companies Harris Teeter, Albertsons, Kroger and Food Lion. 

The class action lawsuits claim the companies falsely advertised cereal bars as naturally flavored when the products contained the synthetic form of malic acid, DL-malic acid. 

Harris Teeter falsely advertises cereal bars as naturally flavored, class action claims 

A consumer filed a class action lawsuit against Harris Teeter LLC this month over claims the supermarket chain falsely advertises its cereal bars as naturally flavored. 

The class action lawsuit argues the Harris Teeter cereal bars contain the synthetic flavoring ingredient DL-malic acid. 

The consumer further argues the front label for the Harris Teeter cereal bars does not indicate the bars are artificially flavored but rather that they are naturally flavored with other natural flavors.

“If a food product’s characterizing flavor is not created exclusively by the named flavor ingredient, the product’s front label must state that the product’s flavor was simulated or reinforced with either natural or artificial flavorings or both,” the Harris Teeter class action says.

Class action claims Food Lion misleadingly labels cereal bars 

A consumer filed a class action lawsuit against Food Lion earlier this month over claims the grocery store chain misleadingly labels its cereal bars. 

The class action lawsuit argues Food Lion’s Fruit and Grain Cereal Bars are misbranded and deceptively labeled as naturally flavored and made with real fruit filling despite containing synthetic ingredients. 

The consumer claims the Food Lion cereal bars contain the synthetic ingredient DL-malic acid, as allegedly confirmed via laboratory testing. 

“The presence of artificial malic acid in the products has a material bearing on price or consumer acceptance of the products, and consumers may be and have been misled about the presence or absence of the artificial DL malic acid that is a component in the product,” the Food Lion class action says. 

Albertsons cereal bars not naturally flavored as advertised, class action says

A pair of consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Albertsons earlier this year over claims the grocery company sells blueberry fruit and grain cereal bars falsely advertised as naturally flavored. 

The class action lawsuit argues the blueberry fruit and grain cereal bars, despite having some natural blueberry flavoring, also contain the synthetic flavoring ingredient DL-malic acid. 

The consumer argues that while malic acid is included in the ingredients list, the representations on the front cover of the cereal bars are deceptive. 

“Plaintiffs are like most consumers and when they see a label that tells them a food is ‘naturally flavored,’ they do not expect its taste to be from artificial flavoring and/or that it will contain artificial flavoring ingredients,” the Albertsons class action says.

Kroger falsely advertises cereal bars as ‘made with real fruit,’ class action says

A pair of consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Kroger earlier this year over claims the supermarket company falsely advertises its blueberry cereal bars as made with real fruit.

The class action lawsuit argues the blueberry cereal bars contain the synthetic ingredient DL-malic acid and that Kroger fails to conspicuously disclose the blueberry flavoring is derived from the artificial ingredient. 

The consumer argues Kroger violates federal law by allegedly not disclosing that the cereal bars contain artificial flavoring. 

“To facilitate an honest marketplace and protect consumers, the rules required that the source of a food’s taste, whether the pictured ingredients, natural flavors from those ingredients, or completely synthetic sources, be conspicuously disclosed to the buyer as part of a food’s name,” the Kroger class action says.

Have you purchased a cereal bar containing undisclosed DL-malic acid? Let us know in the comments.

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