Ronzoni Pasta Class Action Lawsuit Says Packages Under-Filled

New World Pasta Company deceptively underfills its boxes of Ronzoni pastas, according to a class action lawsuit filed earlier this month in New York federal court.

Plaintiff Melissa Stewart filed the Ronzoni pasta class action lawsuit on behalf of herself and other consumers who purchased boxes of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest, Garden Delight, Gluten Free, Super Greens and Smart Taste pastas that were made and/or marketed by New World Pasta Company.

Stewart alleges that New World Pasta Company began selling “healthy” pastas in the boxes that are the same size as its traditional semolina/durum wheat pasta products.

She says that New World has continued to use the “iconic Ronzoni packaging,” which has been historically filled with 16 ounces of pasta, to package the “healthier” pasta products.

“But rather than fill these visually identical boxes with the quantity of pasta – 16 ounces (net weight) per box – that customers have long been accustomed to receiving, New World Pasta has reduced the contents of the box by twenty-five percent (25%) and under filled the box with only 12 ounces (net weight) of pasta,” the Ronzoni class action lawsuit alleges.

“By doing so, New World Pasta has been able to deceive consumers and secretly impose a price premium on the sale of ‘healthy’ pastas.”

Stewart asserts that the so-called “healthy” Ronzoni pasta products are stacked next to the traditional Ronzoni pastas, and appear to be the same size. Therefore, consumers believe they are receiving the same amount of product as they would with the traditional Ronzoni pasta products.

According to the Ronzoni class action lawsuit, the “healthy” pasta products do list the actual weight of the contents in small print at the bottom of the box.

This small print is the only indication consumers have about the amount of product contained within the box, as the contents are only visible through a tiny clear window that does not allow the consumer to observe that the box is under-filled.

Stewart states that ShopRite is selling 16 ounces of Ronzoni Thin Spaghetti No. 9 in its iconic thin blue and yellow cardboard box for $1.69, which amounts to a charge of approximately 11 cents an ounce.

ShopRite is also selling Ronzoni Smart Taste Thin Spaghetti and Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains Thin Spaghetti in the same size box and for the same price, Stewart says. However, these products only include 12 ounces of spaghetti.

The price per ounce for these “healthier” products is approximately 14 cents, which is about 28 percent higher than the price of the traditional thin spaghetti, according to the Ronzoni class action lawsuit.

“Rather than provide consumers with the same 16 ounces of product and charge a higher price for the ‘healthy’ alternatives, defendant is deceptively keeping the price the same, and reducing the contents of the box,” the Ronzoni class action lawsuit asserts.

This tactic dupes consumers into paying a premium for the “healthier” pastas, Stewart claims.

The makers of Barilla pastas were recently hit with a similar deceptive marketing class action lawsuit regarding the packaging of their “healthier” pasta products.

Stewart is represented by Jeffrey I. Carton and Robert J. Berg of Denlea & Carton LLP.

The Ronzoni Pasta Class Action Lawsuit is Melissa Stewart v. New World Pasta Company, Case No. 16-6157, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.