Iberia Olive Oil is Actually 80% Sunflower Oil, Class Action Says

A New York consumer says he was duped into purchasing Iberia olive oil by false marketing which stated that the product was a “Premium Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil,” when in reality, the product is 80 percent sunflower oil.

Lead plaintiff Daniel Okoe claims that although the words “sunflower oil &” are included on the label, they are minuscule and hard for consumers to see.

The plaintiff alleges that he purchased Iberia Premium Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil in New York on March 15, 2017 for $8.19. Okoe says that he did not notice the words “sunflower oil” on the product’s packaging and believed he was purchasing 100 percent olive oil.

“The Product is sold in misleadingly labeled containers where the words ‘Extra Virgin Olive Oil’ are emboldened and holographic whilst the words ‘Sunflower Oil &’ above these are printed inconspicuously in indistinct, camouflaged ink and narrow font that is barely distinguishable from the background and is readily overlooked by consumers,” states the Iberia olive oil class action lawsuit.

According to the Iberia oil blend class action lawsuit, the Iberia olive oil is only made of 20 percent olive oil. The rest is the much cheaper to produce sunflower oil.

“Olive oil has a clear appeal to consumers not present in sunflower oil,” contends the Iberia oil class action lawsuit. “According to the New England Journal of Medicine, consuming extra virgin olive oil may reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, or dying of heart disease by as much as 30%. According to professors at the University of Florida, extra virgin olive oil may prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.”

According to the Iberia olive oil blend class action lawsuit, recent studies have shown that there are “consequential” health differences between olive oil and sunflower oil.

The Iberia oil class action points to a study that discovered that heating either corn oil or sunflower oil changes their molecular structure, causing them to undergo oxidation.

When sunflower oil becomes oxidized the result is an aldehyde – a substance that has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and cancer, the Iberia olive oil class action states.

The same study found that oxidation did not occur when olive oil, as well as butter and goose fat, were heated.

“Defendant’s deceptive practices are particularly egregious given that 80% of the Product consists of refined sunflower oil, a process that eviscerates whatever nutritional value sunflower oil might otherwise have,” the Iberia class action lawsuit claims.

Despite containing much more sunflower oil than olive oil, the 68 fl. oz. Iberia Premium Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil commands a premium price, says the class action lawsuit.

“Through these unfair and deceptive practices, Defendant has collected millions of dollars from the sale of its Product that it would not have otherwise earned,” alleges the Iberia olive oil class action lawsuit.

The Iberia olive oil class action lawsuit seeks to represent a nationwide Class of consumers, as well as a New York subclass. The plaintiff is seeking damages, as well as an injunction barring Iberia’s allegedly deceptive marketing practices.

The lead plaintiff is represented by C.K. Lee and Anne Seelig of Lee Litigation Group PLLC.

The Iberia Olive Oil Blend Class Action Lawsuit is Okoe v. Iberia Foods Corp., Case No. 1:18-cv-09161, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.