Sprouts class action lawsuits overview:
- Who: Two consumers filed separate class action lawsuits against SF Markets LLC, doing business as Sprouts Farmers Market, and Sprouts Farmers Market Inc.
- Why: The plaintiffs claimed Sprouts chips labeled as made with avocado oil are not fully made with avocado oil.
- Where: Both Sprouts class action lawsuits were filed in California federal court.
A new class action lawsuit alleges Sprouts sells tortilla chips labeled “Made With Avocado Oil” that are not fully made with avocado oil.
Plaintiff Barbara Mullen, in a lawsuit filed on Sept. 8, claims the grocer’s Organic Sea Salt & A Hint of Lime Tortilla Chips list avocado oil as their only oil yet are diluted with cheaper seed oils. Meanwhile, plaintiff Rhiannon Hood filed a second Sprouts class action lawsuit nine days later over the retailer’s avocado oil chip line.
Both complaints rely on a 2026 University of California Davis study of foods labeled as containing avocado oil. Mullen argues the study found 48 of 54 samples, or 89%, were inconsistent with authentic avocado oil, including 26 of 28 chip samples. She claims researchers tested two separate production lots of the Sprouts tortilla chips and classified both as inconsistent.
“[P]eer-reviewed scientific testing establishes that the oil from the product is not compositionally consistent with authentic avocado oil and instead exhibits the compositional profile of cheaper, refined seed oils,” the Sprouts class action lawsuit says.
Mullen argues shoppers have no practical means of verifying which oil is in a processed food and pay a premium for the label. She wants to represent a nationwide class and California subclass of consumers who purchased the tortilla chips, while Hood wants to represent all persons in California.
Avocado oil lawsuit cites lab tests on Sprouts kettle chips
Hood claims Sprouts labels its kettle-style potato chips and tortilla chips “Made With 100% Avocado Oil” and promotes them as free of seed oils. Her avocado oil lawsuit says she bought at least 14 bags, including the Honey BBQ and Dill Pickle flavors.
Hood alleges she sent three unopened bags to Isotek Laboratories in September 2026. She claims the tests found levels of palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid, of 0.544% to 1.038%, far below the 4% to 17.1% Codex standard for avocado oil, along with elevated stearic acid.
“The Isotek findings make clear that, if avocado oil is present in Sprouts Avocado Oil chips, it is not the only oil. At a minimum, there is some other, inferior, oil in the chips,” the avocado oil lawsuit says.
Both lawsuits claim Sprouts violated California consumer protection, false advertising and unfair competition laws, and Mullen adds claims for breach of express warranty and unjust enrichment. Both plaintiffs demand a jury trial and request injunctive relief, restitution and damages for themselves and all class members.
Under similar allegations of skimping on avocado oil, a class action lawsuit filed in California claims Kettle Brand’s avocado oil chips contain refined vegetable seed oils rather than avocado oil as advertised.
Have you purchased Sprouts chips labeled as made with avocado oil? Let us know in the comments.
Mullen is represented by Steven A. Schwartz and Beena M. McDonald of Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP, James J. Rosemergy of Carey & Danis LLC and Todd S. Eagan of Eagan Law Corporation. Hood is represented by Michael Connett and Catherine Ybarra of Siri & Glimstad LLP.
The Sprouts class action lawsuits are Mullen v. SF Markets LLC, et al., Case No. 3:26-cv-05070-BJC-DEB, and Hood v. Sprouts Farmers Market Inc., Case No. 3:26-cv-05362-RSH-DDL, both in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
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