- On Friday, July 2, three California residents filed a class action lawsuit (subscription to Law360 required) against Nature’s Path Foods Inc., claiming that Nature’s Path deceived customers by overstating the amount of protein present in its hemp granola and other products.
- The consumers allege that the company’s Hemp Hearts Granola product bears claims stating that the product offers 10 grams of protein per serving but that, based on testing, the product contains only 7.87 grams protein per serving. According to the plaintiffs, the Hemp Hearts Granola packaging indicates in a “small font that is barely legible to consumers” that the 10 grams of protein refers to the protein content “per serving with milk.” The nutrition facts panel indicates that without milk, the product only provides 6 grams of protein.
- The plaintiffs allege that the company’s false and misleading advertising and labeling of its products is intended to induce consumers to purchase the products at a premium price and that they would not have purchased the granola, or at least would have paid less for it, if they had known the truth about its protein content.
- The suit against Nature’s Path is the latest in a series of cases, challenging the accuracy of protein information on food labels.
