SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - Walmart faces a class action lawsuit that claims its Great Value line of spices includes high levels of heavy metals.
The June 24 lawsuit filed by Susan Gagetta and Tracie Gomez follows a 2021 Consumer Reports claim that the products contained high enough levels of arsenic, lead and cadmium to pose a health concern for children and adults.
"Heavy metals in foods pose a serious safety risk to consumers because they can cause cancer and serious and often irreversible damage to brain development as well as other serious health problems," the suit says.
The spices at issue include basil, chili powder, ground cumin, organic ground ginger and organic paprika. The case does not allege the two plaintiffs suffered bodily injury, only that Walmart should have put a disclaimer on its packaging.
The report cited from Consumer Reports was published in November 2021 and was titled "Your Herbs and Spices Might Contain Arsenic, Cadmium and Lead." Consumer Reports analyzed 126 products, including the Great Value brand.
Bursor & Fisher is representing the plaintiffs.