LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A California woman is suing Chipotle Mexican Grill over allegations it deceives consumers that its food is genetically modified organism-free when she alleges it is not.
Melissa Cruz, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint on July 24 in the Los Angeles County Superior Court against Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. alleging violation of the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, False Advertising Law and Unfair Competition Law.
The plaintiff alleges Chipotle is misleading in its advertising with its claims that it had eradicated GMOs from its food. The plaintiff alleges that the defendant is unable to guarantee that some of its ingredients are 100 percent GMO-free.
"Chipotle's menu is substantially reliant on soybean and corn products, both of which even in 'non-GMO' form contains low level presence of GMOs," the suit states. "While Chipotle knows that its menu contains ingredients with low levels of GMOs, it takes no meaningful steps to clarify consumer misconceptions in its advertisements and on its billboards..."
The plaintiff alleges that had she known that the defendant's foods were not fully GMO-free, she would not have purchased it.
The plaintiff is seeking trial by jury and declaratory and injunctive relief. The plaintiff is represented by Quyen C. Hoang of the Law Offices of Quyen C. Hoang in Huntington Beach, California.
The case was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by the defendant on Sept. 20.
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California case number 2:19-CV-08068