Goodness! ‘Healthy’ veggie snacks from Utz and Good Health in firing line for alleged false advertising

By Gill Hyslop

- Last updated on GMT

A New York consumer has filed a lawsuit against Utz and Good Health Natural Products for allegedly mislabeling their veggie snacks. Pic: Good Health Natural Products
A New York consumer has filed a lawsuit against Utz and Good Health Natural Products for allegedly mislabeling their veggie snacks. Pic: Good Health Natural Products

Related tags Utz Quality Foods Snacks Vegetables Lawsuit Class action Judge Jury better-for-you

Utz Quality Foods and Good Health Natural Products are facing a potential class action alleging that labeling their line of vegetable snacks are 'Made with Extra Goodness!" is deceptive.

New Yorker David Feldman has filed a complaint in the US District Court against UTZ Quality Foods and Good Health Natural Products alleging deceptive practice, false advertising, breach of warranties and unjust enrichment.

He contends the defendants replaced a blend of vegetable-derived ingredients with synthetic additives in their Extra Goodness! products, including vegetable straws and chips.

Devoid of benefits

Feldman’s attorneys – Ansell Grimm & Aaron PC – filed papers claiming Utz and Good Health replaced a proprietary blend of spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, beets and shiitake mushrooms with a “cheaper synthetic blend”​ in December 2016 and failed to update the ingredient list for more than a year.

“Although defendants market their products as healthful and nutritious, these products are devoid of the health benefits plaintiff and other reasonable consumers associate with consuming real vegetables.”

Moreover, the suit challenges that the current snacks do not contain “significant amounts of the vegetables or vegetable-derived vitamins depicted, and are not healthful.”

Feldman has requested a trial by jury and is seeking compensatory, treble and punitive damages; prejudgment interest; injunctive relief; attorneys' fees; expenses and costs of suit.

Big producer

Utz Quality Foods is the largest independent, privately-held snack brand in US, producing over 3.3 million pounds (1.4 million kg) of snacks per week, including potato chips, pretzels, cheese snacks, corn products and popcorns.

The Hanover, Pennsylvania, company was founded in 1921 and is managed by Mike and Jane Rice, the company’s third generation of family leadership.

The Good Health brand was acquired by Utz Quality Foods in 2014.

BakeryandSnacks did not receive a response from either company to its request for comment.

Case

Feldman vs Utz Quality Foods

US District Court for the Southern District of New York

Case number: 18-6004 (filed July 3, 2018).

Related topics Manufacturers Snacks Health

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