Target class action alleges Good and Gather tuna products aren’t sustainably caught

By Top Class Actions | April 10, 2026

Category: False Advertising

(Photo Credit: ZikG/Shutterstock)

Target class action lawsuit overview:

Who: Plaintiff Sue Kim filed a class action lawsuit against Target Corp.
Why: Kim alleges Target falsely markets its Good and Gather tuna products as being sustainably caught.
Where: The Target class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.

Target is facing a class action lawsuit alleging it falsely markets its Good and Gather tuna products as being sustainably caught.

Plaintiff Sue Kim filed the class action complaint against Target on March 18 in California federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.

According to the class action lawsuit, Target engaged in a uniform advertising campaign to market itself as a sustainable food manufacturer in a market composed of health and environmentally conscious consumers.

Kim says Target’s sustainable seafood campaign is most prominently represented in its labeling and marketing for its Good and Gather tuna products, which include portable pouch Chunk Light Tuna in Water, portable pouch Lemon Pepper Chunk Light Tuna, portable pouch Albacore Chunk White Tuna in Water, portable pouch Sweet and Spicy Chunk Light Tuna, tinned Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water and tinned Chunk Light Tuna in Water.

She claims Target is able to charge a premium for its Good and Gather tuna products as a result of its sustainable seafood marketing campaign, adding that the company communicates this message to consumers most prominently through a “sustainably caught” front-of-label representation on every tuna product package.

Target class action alleges front and back label representations are false

The class action lawsuit alleges Target’s front-of-label sustainability representations are reinforced through additional back-of-label statements that the Good and Gather tuna products are “sustainable seafood” and are “wild caught using sustainable practices to help protect ocean resources for future generations to enjoy.”

As alleged in the lawsuit, despite its sustainability promise, Target sources its tuna products from fisheries that indiscriminately harm marine life and ocean ecosystems.

Kim alleges the fisheries that source Target’s tuna products use harmful fishing methods through bycatch, ghost gear and overfishing, including purse seines, which are large nets that encircle schools of fish and unrestrictedly capture all marine life in them. The method can kill seals, endangered sea turtles and sharks, the Target class action lawsuit says.

The plaintiff claims she purchased Target’s Good and Gather portable pouch Chunk Light Tuna in Water and Albacore Chunk White Tuna in Water from a Target store in Cerritos, California, on June 28, 2025, for $0.99 and $1.99, respectively.

Kim argues the tuna products were worth less than represented because the statements were not true and were highly misleading.

The class action lawsuit alleges that consumers reasonably believed from representations that Good and Gather tuna products were sustainably caught, meaning they were caught in a manner that would not harm the marine ecosystem and would instead promote marine health.

Kim says she would not have purchased the tuna products, or would not have purchased them on the same terms, if she knew the sustainability representations were untrue and/or misleading, the lawsuit states.

The plaintiff seeks to represent anyone who purchased a Target tuna product in California or any state with similar laws within the applicable statute of limitations for personal use and not resale. Kim is suing for violations of California and federal consumer laws and seeking certification of the Target class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

Meanwhile, Target was recently sued over claims it misleadingly advertised its apple cider vinegar gummies as containing more acetic acid than they actually do.

What do you think of the allegations made in this Target tuna lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Michael H. Pearson of Pearson Warshaw LLP and Christopher Jennings of Jennings & Early PLLC.

The Target class action lawsuit is Kim v. Target Corp., Case No. 2:26-cv-02910, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division.