Class Action Lawsuit Claims Life Cereal Falsely Advertised as Containing No Artificial Preservatives

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims that Life cereal is falsely advertised as free of artificial preservatives given it contains tocopherols.

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According to the 18-page lawsuit, although the Quaker Oats’ Life cereal products are represented as containing “no artificial preservatives,” this is false and misleading given the presence of tocopherols, which are defined as artificial chemical preservatives by the FDA.

Tocopherols are antioxidant preservatives, meaning they help slow “oxidative deterioration” over the course of the product’s shelf life, the lawsuit relays. While tocopherols can occur naturally, the complaint claims that the kinds found in Life cereals are commercially and synthetically produced by the refining of crude vegetable oil or chemical synthesis.

While the lawsuit acknowledges that Quaker Oats’ intention in adding the tocopherols may include vitamin content or other health reasons, they are still categorized as chemical preservatives, which the suit claims is of greater importance than the “subjective intent” behind their use in the cereal.

The complaint claims that the “no artificial preservatives” representation on Life cereal boxes capitalizes on the growing demand for “natural” food products from health-conscious shoppers, as the majority of American consumers associate a lack of additives and artificial preservatives with greater health value and are willing to pay more for products they view as healthy.

The lawsuit alleges that the inclusion of a chemical preservative in Life cereal, regardless of the intent behind its use, renders the claim of “no artificial preservatives” false and deceptive to reasonable consumers, who paid a premium based on the representation.

The Life cereal class action lawsuit seeks to represent anyone who, within the applicable statute of limitations period, purchased a Life cereal product or other Quaker Oats product that was advertised as containing “no artificial preservatives” despite containing tocopherols.

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