Ronzoni Class Action: ‘All Natural’ Pasta Contains Carcinogenic Pesticide

The makers of Ronzoni pasta products are facing a class action lawsuit alleging their “all natural” whole grain pastas contain glyphosate, an unnatural pesticide that has been potentially linked to causing cancer in humans.

Plaintiff Jason Scholder filed the Ronzoni class action lawsuit last month in New York federal court against defendants Ebro North America Inc. and its subsidiary New World Pasta Co. Inc.

He claims Ebro advertises some of its Ronzoni pasta products as “all natural,” “100% all natural,” “100% whole grain” and “made from a single ingredient, 100% whole wheat.”

According to the Ronzoni class action lawsuit, these claims are false, deceptive and misleading because the pasta products contain glyphosate, “a potent herbicide that last year was declared a probable human carcinogen by the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization.”

Scholder asserts that glyphosate is used as a drying agent and is sprayed onto the wheat shortly before harvest. “There is nothing unlawful about Ebro’s growing and processing methods,” the Ronzoni class action lawsuit explains. “What is unlawful is Ebro’s claims that Ronzoni is something that it is not in order to capitalize on growing consumer demand for healthful, natural products.”

Upon seeing the representations that the Ronzoni pasta products are “all natural” and contain “100% whole grain,” no reasonable consumer would expect the products to contain unnatural ingredients, the Ronzoni class action lawsuit alleges.

The products named in the Ronzoni class action lawsuit include Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Thin Spaghetti, Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Linguini and Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Lasagna.

According to the Ronzoni class action lawsuit, the defendants conceal the presence of glyphosate in its products and fail to warn consumers that Ronzoni pastas contain an unnatural pesticide that may cause cancer in humans.

By filing the Ronzoni carcinogen class action lawsuit, Scholder seeks to represent a Class of consumers who purchased the allegedly misleadingly advertised Ronzoni pasta products in the United States, and a subclass of consumers who purchased the products in New York.

The Ronzoni class action lawsuit asserts that Scholder and other putative Class Members would not have purchased the Ronzoni products, or would have paid less for them, if they had known they were not “all natural” and that they contained an unnatural and potentially carcinogenic pesticide. Scholder claims that they received a product that was worth less than what they paid.

Scholder accuses the defendants of mislabeling their Ronzoni products, failure to warn, breach of express warranty and unjust enrichment. He seeks damages, attorneys’ fees, injunctive relief and other relief deemed appropriate by the court.

The Ronzoni class action lawsuit seeks refunds for consumers who purchased the allegedly mislabeled products as well as a court order requiring the defendants to engage in a corrective advertising campaign to inform the public about the carcinogen-contaminated wheat in Ronzoni pasta products. Scholder has asked for a trial by jury.

The plaintiff is represented by Michael J. Gabrielli of Gabrielli Levitt LLP.

The Ronzoni Pasta Carcinogen Class Action Lawsuit is Jason Scholder v. Ebro North America Inc., et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-06002, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.