San Francisco, CA: Gerber, the maker of Graduates Puffs food for toddlers, is facing a consumer fraud class action lawsuit alleging the company is misleading parents into buying a product that is far from nutritious.
The plaintiffs allege that the packaging for Puffs is dominated by pictures of fruit or vegetables: juicy peaches, slices of ripe banana, nutritious sweet potatoes. But the ingredients list belies these pictures. Banana-flavored Puffs contain no bananas, only a trace amount of banana flavoring. Sweet potato-flavored Puffs don't contain actual sweet potatoes, or any other vegetable, only miniscule amounts of sweet potato "flavor."The closest thing to a fruit or vegetable in Puffs is a very tiny amount of dried apple puree ??" powder, in other words.
The suit alleges that parents trying to buy healthy and nutritious snacks for their toddlers have trusted Gerber' reputation and package presentations, paid Gerber' premium prices based on that reputation, and, in exchange, unwittingly provided their toddlers with empty calories.Far from the healthy treat the labels and Gerber' reputation suggest, Puffs are little more than flour and sugar.
The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of California, San Francisco County, and is titled Gyorke-Takatri, et al., v. Nestle USA, Inc. and Gerber Products Company. Plaintiffs are represented by the Stanley Law Group, Bailey & Glasser LLP, and David F. Sugerman.
