Target’s Good & Gather pasta sauces stir up false advertising class action lawsuit

Target pasta sauce class action lawsuits overview:

• Who: Plaintiffs Jennifer Deforest and LaTonya Wright filed separate class action lawsuits against Target Corp.
• Why: The plaintiffs claim Target falsely advertises that its Good & Gather pasta sauces contain “no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives” despite containing citric acid, which they allege is an artificial preservative.
• Where: The lawsuits were filed in California state court and New York federal court.

A pair of class action lawsuits accuse Target of falsely advertising its Good & Gather pasta sauces as free from artificial preservatives when the products in fact contain synthetic citric acid.

Plaintiff Jennifer Deforest filed a class action lawsuit against Target in California, claiming the company’s Good & Gather pasta sauces are misleadingly labeled. 

“Defendant uses artificial citric acid in the Products,” Deforest claims in the lawsuit. “Many commercial food manufactures, including Defendants, use a synthetic form of citric acid that is derived from heavy chemical processing.”

Plaintiff LaTonya Wright claims that Target markets its pasta sauces in a systematically misleading manner by misrepresenting that the products do not contain artificial preservatives.

The plaintiffs want to represent anyone in the United States who purchased Target’s allegedly falsely advertised Good & Gather pasta sauces. In addition, Deforest seeks to represent a California subclass of consumers, while Wright wants to represent a New York subclass.

Class actions allege citric acid is a preservative

Deforest argues Target’s Good & Gather pasta sauce products are misbranded under the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetics Act due to them containing citric acid.

“Citric acid acts as a preservative when added to food products, including the Products at issue,” Deforest says, adding that the Food and Drug Administration has listed citric acid as a preservative in its “Overview of Food Ingredients, Additives and Colors.”

Deforest claims Target violated California’s Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Act, demanding a jury trial and seeking declaratory and injunctive relief, along with actual, statutory and punitive damages for herself and all class members.

Meanwhile, Wright claims Target has profited unjustly through allegedly deceptive conduct and asserts claims for violations of New York General Business Law, breach of express warranty and unjust enrichment.

Consumers have recently filed several class action lawsuits against Target, alleging false advertising, benzene contamination and the unlawful collection of private and biometric data.

Target has also issued recalls for Good & Gather Cut Green Beans due to potential contamination with a foreign object and Good & Gather Baby Pea, Zucchini, Kale & Thyme Vegetable Puree due to elevated levels of lead contamination.

Have you ever purchased Target’s Good & Gather pasta sauces? Let us know in the comments.

Deforest is represented by Todd M. Friedman and Adrian R. Bacon of the Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman P.C. Wright is represented by Joseph I. Marchese and Israel Rosenberg of Bursor & Fisher P.A.

The Target pasta sauce class action lawsuits are Deforest v. Target Corp., Case No. 30-2025-01467748-CU-NP-CXC, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Orange; and Wright v. Target Corp., case number not yet available, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

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