Why is Kellogg's Getting Sued Over Its Strawberry Pop-Tarts?
Having already been hit with a worker's strike, Kellogg's is now facing a class action lawsuit.
At the center of the lawsuit is the company's strawberry Pop-Tarts.
How exactly did this breakfast food become so controversial?
This is everything you need to know about the lawsuit.
Who Is Suing Kellogg's Over Strawberry Pop-Tarts?
The class-action lawsuit against Kellogg's was filed by Anita Harris in the Southern District of Illinois.
It argues that consumers have been misled over the brand's Strawberry Pop-Tarts.
Why Is Kellogg's Being Sued Over Strawberry Pop-Tarts?
The lawsuit, filed in August, argues that Kellogg's has been misleading its customers with the name of its strawberry-flavored Pop-Tart product.
By promoting a strawberry filling, it says that the company gives an impression of "a greater relative and absolute amount of strawberries than it does."
In reality, they contain two per cent or less of "dried strawberries, dried pears, dried apples" and "red 40," according to the product's nutritional information.
For this reason, Harris believes the Pop-Tarts "cannot provide a true strawberry taste," thanks to the presence of other fruits, and warned that consumers are being given a "false impression" of the true flavor because of the red food coloring used.
The lawsuit goes on to compare the Pop-Tarts to rival brands' toaster pastries like those made by Walmart and Dollar Tree, noting that their "frosted strawberry" flavors are clearly described as "naturally and artificially flavored."
Harris noted in the lawsuit that had she known the true number of strawberries present, she would not have purchased the Pop-Tarts.
The lawsuit cited the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, which deems deceptive acts such as "false pretense, false promise, misrepresentation or the concealment, suppression or omission of any material fact" as unlawful.
It's not the only class action lawsuit Kellogg's is currently facing.
A suit brought forward by Stephen Hadley alleges that Kellogg's labelled many of its cereals as "healthy" when the high added sugar content would have meant they were unhealthy.
This is because of packaging on Kellogg's Original Raisin Bran and Kellogg's Raisin Bran Crunch that states they are "heart healthy," labels calling Kellogg's Smart Start Original Antioxidants cereal "heart healthy" and/or "lightly sweetened," and Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite Size (Original, Maple Brown Sugar, Strawberry, or Blueberry varieties), Big Bites (Original variety), Little Bites (Chocolate or Cinnamon Roll varieties), or Touch of Fruit in the Middle (Mixed Berry and Raspberry varieties) which were all labelled as "lightly sweetened."
Newsweek has contacted representatives for Kellogg's for comment.
