Trader Joe’s class action overview:
- Who: Plaintiff Kelly McIntosh filed a class action lawsuit against Trader Joe’s Co.
- Why: McIntosh claims Trader Joe’s misleadingly advertises its low-acid coffee as having regular caffeine content.
- Where: The Trader Joe’s class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court.
A new class action lawsuit accuses Trader Joe’s Co. of falsely advertising its low-acid coffee as containing regular caffeine levels.
Plaintiff Kelly McIntosh filed the class action complaint against Trader Joe’s on April 28 in New York federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.
The class action lawsuit alleges Trader Joe’s deceived consumers by mislabeling its “Low Acid Dark French Roast Coffee” as regular coffee, despite it having significantly less caffeine than standard coffee.
“Defendant utilizes highly misleading packaging to trick consumers into believing that they are purchasing genuine ‘low acid’ coffee, at low acid prices,” the Trader Joe’s lawsuit alleges.
The class action lawsuit claims Trader Joe’s low-acid coffee has less than half the caffeine content of regular coffee, while containing nearly the same acidity.
Trader Joe’s knew or should have known about its misleading packaging for at least a year, but has taken no action to fix it, the lawsuit argues.
Class action: Trader Joe’s sold low-acid coffee with reduced caffeine at a premium price
The class action lawsuit alleges the grocer’s low-acid coffee has caffeine levels similar to half-caffeinated coffee but is sold at a premium price. McIntosh claims she paid $18.99 for a 13-ounce bag of the low-acid coffee, compared to $6.99 for a 12-ounce bag of Amazon Fresh’s dark roast whole bean coffee.
“Consumers are willing to pay significantly more for low-acid coffee than regular dark roast coffee,” the Trader Joe’s lawsuit says.
The lawsuit alleges Trader Joe’s has been aware of the issue since at least February 2025, when it was notified of the caffeine discrepancy in a lawsuit filed by competitor Puroast Coffee Company.
Despite this knowledge, Trader Joe’s has not changed the labeling on its low-acid coffee, the class action lawsuit says.
As a result, McIntosh claims she and other consumers paid a premium for a product that did not deliver the promised benefits of regular caffeine content.
The lawsuit seeks to represent all U.S. consumers who purchased Trader Joe’s low-acid coffee labeled as “Low Acid” and “100% Arabica Whole Bean Coffee.”
McIntosh is suing for violations of New York consumer protection laws, false advertising, fraud and breach of express warranty. She seeks certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.
In an unrelated case, Trader Joe’s recently agreed to pay $7.4 million to resolve claims that it violated federal law by printing excessive credit card information on customer receipts.
What do you think of the claims made in this Trader Joe’s class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Philip L. Fraietta and Matthew A. Girardi of Bursor & Fisher P.A.
The Trader Joe’s class action lawsuit is McIntosh v. Trader Joe’s Company, Case No. 1:26-cv-03521, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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