SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - Spices sold on Amazon.com by Whole Foods Market possibly contain heavy metals like lead, arsenic and cadmium, a class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiff Sherri Pettis says in a lawsuit filed Aug. 10 in Seattle federal court she wouldn't have paid as much for or not purchased the products at all had the two defendants disclosed the risk of heavy metals in basil, cumin and ground ginger.
It cites a November 2021 Consumer Reports article that says those spices had high levels of the metals.
"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.
"(A)s companies across the industry have adopted methods to limit heavy metals in their herbs and spices, Defendants have stood idly by with a reckless disregard for their consumers' health and well-being."
Lawyers at Terrell Marshall Law Group, Shub Law Firm and Mason LLP are pursuing the case.