Food Companies Can Expect A Spate Of Class Action Suits Over Health Claims

High-profile food companies that make strong, but possibly questionable, health claims for their products should brace themselves for a deluge of class action lawsuits from consumer lobby groups. Legal experts told NutraIngredients that companies should expect an “explosion” of suits similar to the one targeting General Mills over its claims of digestive health for Yo-Plus yogurts. The suit was recently allowed to proceed by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals despite the company’s efforts to torpedo it. Part of the litigation problem may be aggressive lawyers looking for settlement opportunities with big companies. Dannon and Wrigley, for example, both settled class action challenges related to health claims for products. But perhaps the real root cause is overeager food company marketing departments with a penchant for health claim hyperbole.