WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) — A consumer class action lawsuit alleges Trident sugar-free gum is deceptively labeled as having xylitol as a main sweetener.
Christie Quilez, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint March 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Mondelez Global LLC alleging violation of state consumer fraud acts and other claims.
Quilez alleges in the class action that the defendant's Trident "sugar free gum with xylitol" is falsely and deceptively labeled because it leads consumers to believe that xylitol is the predominant sweetener in the gum. She claims the gum lacks enough amounts of xylitol to deliver the oral and health benefits that the polyol is known for and that she purchased the gum expecting the sweeting component to be predominately or exclusively xylitol as highlighted on the front label.
Quilez claims the gum is sold at a price premium yet the predominant sweetener in the gum is the cheaper sorbitol and that the amount of sorbitol is twice as much as xylitol. She further claims the value of the gum was materially less than its value as represented by Mondelez.
Quilez and the class seek monetary relief, interest, trial by jury and all other just relief. They are represented by Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC in Great Neck, New York.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York case number 1:23-CV-01889