BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) – A California resident is suing an international peanut butter producer over claims that some of its products are misrepresented as natural.
Graham Forsher, individually and for all others similarly situated, filed a class-action lawsuit Dec. 17 in the Eastern District of New York against The J.M. Smucker Co., alleging breach of express warranty and violations of California and Ohio state laws.
Smucker manufactures and sells a variety of food products including Jif Natural Peanut Butter Spread.
The plaintiff alleges Smucker's representation of this product as natural is false, as it contains non-natural ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Specifically, the suit claims, the products contain sugar manufactured from genetically modified sugar beets.
The suit states reasonable consumers, including Forsher and others in the class, would not have thought of these products as natural if they knew the sugar was derived from GMOs.
Forsher and other class members seek disgorgement and restitution, compensatory and punitive damages, interests, and attorney fees and costs of the suit. They are represented by attorneys Michael R. Reese and George V. Granade of Reese LLP in New York City, and by attorneys Clayton D. Halunen, Melissa W. Wolchansky, and Charles D. Moore of Halunen Law in Minneapolis.
Eastern District of New York Case number 1:15-CV-07180-RJD-MDG