A federal judge has tossed a food labeling class action lawsuit against Trader Joe's, which accused the supermarket chain of wrongly selling fruit juice labeled as "cold-pressed."
The lawsuit had been filed in Chicago federal court by attorney Spencer Sheehan, of Great Neck, New York. The class action was filed on behalf of named plaintiff Lisa Cristia.
The lawsuit claimed the international food-stuffs chain is selling juice labeled as "cold-pressed," even though the juice was allegedly heat treated as part of the production process. Cristia's lawsuit claimed Trader Joe's is misleading consumers concerned about the contents and quality of their food and beverages.
Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates, P.C.
| spencersheehan.com
The class action landed in court as part of an accelerating trend of lawsuits targeting food makers and retailers, accusing them of misleading consumers with allegedly deceptive labels. Sheehan has been at the forefront of the trend, especially in lawsuits filed in Chicago courts. According to federal court records, Sheehan has represented plaintiffs in 90 fraud cases in the Northern District of Illinois alone, including four against Trader Joe's.
In an order entered Dec. 9, U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman sided with Trader Joe's, citing the retailer's adherence to federal food safety guidelines in dismissing the lawsuit.
According to Cristia, she and other consumers have a very different definition of "cold pressed juice" than Trader Joe's. Cristia alleges that this refers to juice “which was extracted from fruits and vegetables and not processed or subjected to any form of preservation beyond being ‘squeezed’ or ‘pressed."
Cristia, in court documents, claimed that, unlike it's shelf stable counterparts, cold pressed juice manufactured under the Trader Joe's label was kept in the refrigerator section with other premium beverages. Cristia alleged that consumers were duped into paying more, lured in by prominent front labeling that suggested it was a fresh juice product that had not been further processed. Central to her complaint, she asserted that front labeling did not specify that the product would be subject to additional processing.
Cristia accused Trader Joe's of violating the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act with its alleged deceptive packaging claims and Illinois consumer protection law, contending the alleged deception is at the heart of her case. She asserted that she and other class members would not have purchased the product or paid the premium price for it "if the true facts had been known."
Cristia's claim asserts that she purchased the juice based on its prominent front facing label claims and is now entitled to damages because it was misrepresented and she could not rely on its packaging to help her make an informed decision. Cristia demanded the food giant revisit its claims so consumers are not misled in the future.
In his decision, Judge Gettelman cited statements from the Food and Drug Administration's "What you Need to Know" website. Judge Gettelman asked whether most people would know the facts about how juice is processed to prevent spoilage.
Noting fine print on the side label, Judge Gettelman pointed out that labeling did reveal the juice was further processed using a hydraulic press to minimize the risk to customers of food borne bacteria. He also highlighted that the actual labeling also stated that its fruits and vegetables undergo a process of extraction using a hydraulic press and cold water pressurization. The juice was not, however, heat pasteurized as Cristia accused, and still fell within the FDA's definition of cold pressed, Judge Gettelman concluded.
The judge said his dismissal of the class-action lawsuit was based on the conclusion that Cristia's interpretation of "cold pressed" was contrary to the FDA's interpretation and food safety recommendations for manufacturing juice manufactured by cold extraction.
Trader Joe's has been represented by attorneys Dawn Sestito, of O'Melveny & Myers, of Chicago, Los Angeles, and John Gekas, of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, of Chicago.