SANTA ANA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - A nonprofit is suing Whole Foods, claiming the grocery chain's promise that its beef doesn't contain antibiotics is false.
Farm Forward sued the company on Aug. 23, along with three individual plaintiffs, in California federal court. They are represented by Girard Sharp, Grime Law and Elsner Law & Policy.
The suit targets Whole Foods' slogan "No Antibiotics, Ever." The plaintiffs say independent testing has shown antibiotic and other pharmaceutical residue, which proves cattle were treated with those drugs.
"Whole Foods’ internal emails show that its executives rejected the opportunity to investigate the accuracy of its 'No Antibiotics, Ever' claims, in part because 'the repercussions for having a positive result were beyond ridiculous...'
"Unreceptive to testing cattle in its supply chain, Whole Foods continued promoting its beef products as antibiotic-free."
The suit says antibiotics contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in animals that consumers will eventually ingest.
"Once in the human system, these bacteria can cause infections that cannot be treated with existing antibiotics because the bacteria is antibiotic-resistant," the suit says.