Breyers “All Natural” Putative Class Action Dropped

A putative class action alleging that Conopco Inc., a subsidiary of Unilever United States, mislabeled Breyers ice cream as “all natural” has been voluntarily dismissed with prejudice. Jefferson v. Conopco, No. L-7025-14 (Super. Ct. N.J., Bergen Cty., stipulation of voluntary dismissal filed December 1, 2014). The plaintiff alleged that Breyers’ use of cocoa processed with alkali (Dutch process cocoa) contains the artificial ingredient potassium carbonate, which he argued should preclude the company from labeling its products as natural. The brief stipulation indicates that each party will pay its own attorney’s fees and costs. Additional information about the lawsuit appears in Issue 531 of this Update.

Issue 547