LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
$1.4M Pepsi-Co & Quaker Trans Fat Consumer Fraud Class Action Settlement Reached
Los Angeles, CA: A $1.4 million settlement has been reached in the consumer fraud class action pending against Quaker Oats Co., a division of PepsiCo. The lawsuit alleged that the food manufacturer deliberately and incorrectly labelled Quaker-branded products as being free from trans fats.
Filed by Robert Chacanaca and Victor Guttmann in San Jose, CA, the lawsuit alleged various Quaker products are labelled as having zero grams of trans fats, when the product contains "dangerous amounts" of the "toxic additive".
Specifically, the plaintiffs alleged that Quaker chewy granola bars contain partially hydrogenated oil (PHOs), which has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, cancer and type-2 diabetes. The lawsuit names about 50 different flavours of Quaker's instant oatmeal, Chewy and Oatmeal to Go bars including reduced sugar cookies & cream; weight control maple & brown sugar; and 90-calorie low-fat chocolate chunk.
Under the terms of the settlement, Quaker has also agreed to remove PHOs by the end of 2015 from oatmeal-to-go and instant Quaker oatmeal product, and, for the next 10 years, it will not reintroduce PHOs into bars that do not already contain the oils.
By the end of this year, the company must "cease making the statement 'contains a dietarily insignificant amount of trans fat' on the label of any product containing 0.2 grams or more of artificial trans fat per serving," the settlement motion states.
Published on Aug-6-14
Filed by Robert Chacanaca and Victor Guttmann in San Jose, CA, the lawsuit alleged various Quaker products are labelled as having zero grams of trans fats, when the product contains "dangerous amounts" of the "toxic additive".
Specifically, the plaintiffs alleged that Quaker chewy granola bars contain partially hydrogenated oil (PHOs), which has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, cancer and type-2 diabetes. The lawsuit names about 50 different flavours of Quaker's instant oatmeal, Chewy and Oatmeal to Go bars including reduced sugar cookies & cream; weight control maple & brown sugar; and 90-calorie low-fat chocolate chunk.
Under the terms of the settlement, Quaker has also agreed to remove PHOs by the end of 2015 from oatmeal-to-go and instant Quaker oatmeal product, and, for the next 10 years, it will not reintroduce PHOs into bars that do not already contain the oils.
By the end of this year, the company must "cease making the statement 'contains a dietarily insignificant amount of trans fat' on the label of any product containing 0.2 grams or more of artificial trans fat per serving," the settlement motion states.
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