ALDI, Inc. Faces Class Action Complaint Over Alleged Toxic Metals in Baby Food
On May 28, 2024, a class action complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by plaintiffs Adele Hoffman, Jennifer Oshier, and Rhea Sabile against ALDI, Inc., doing business as Little Journey. The plaintiffs allege that ALDI's baby food products contain dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.
The plaintiffs, represented by their attorneys and acting on behalf of all similarly situated individuals, claim that they reasonably trusted ALDI to sell safe and nutritious baby food. However, independent laboratory tests revealed elevated levels of harmful toxins in several Little Journey products. For instance, banana strawberry rice rusks were found to contain 93.2 ppb arsenic and 10.2 ppb cadmium; blueberry puffs contained 62.3 ppb arsenic and 60.4 ppb cadmium; while white cheddar little munchers contained 11 ppb arsenic among other toxins.
According to the complaint, these toxic metals pose significant health risks to infants and young children who are particularly vulnerable due to their smaller body sizes and developing systems. The plaintiffs argue that ALDI failed to disclose these dangers on product packaging or advertising materials despite knowing about the contamination risks. This omission misled consumers into believing they were purchasing safe baby food.
Plaintiff Adele Hoffman from Michigan City, Indiana fed various Little Journey products to her two children over several years without knowledge of the contamination. Similarly, plaintiff Rhea Sabile from Garden Grove, California provided her youngest child with Little Journey snacks for over a year before learning about the potential dangers. Plaintiff Jennifer Oshier from Potsdam, New York reported gastrointestinal issues in her child which she believes may be linked to consuming contaminated Little Journey products.
The lawsuit accuses ALDI of deceptive practices under multiple state consumer protection laws including the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act (DCSA), California Unfair Competition Law (UCL), California False Advertising Law (FAL), California Consumer Legal Remedies Act (CLRA), and New York General Business Law §§ 349-350. Plaintiffs seek damages for financial losses incurred from purchasing the allegedly unsafe products along with injunctive relief to prevent further sales of contaminated baby food.
Representing the plaintiffs are attorneys Katrina Carroll of Lynch Carpenter LLP based in Chicago along with Nicholas A. Migliaccio and Jason S. Rathod from Migliaccio & Rathod LLP in Washington D.C., among others. The case is presided over by Judge [Judge's Name] under Civil Action Number: 1:24-cv-04370.