Laird Superfood Lawsuit Claims Protein Is Not the Primary Macronutrient in Protein Bars

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

A proposed class action lawsuit claims that Laird Superfood falsely and misleadingly advertises its protein bars, given that protein is not the predominant macronutrient in the products.

Want to stay in the loop on class action lawsuits that matter to you? Sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter.

The 19-page false advertising lawsuit alleges that the Laird Superfood protein bars, including its Picky Bars, are misbranded such that the products’ labeling, which prominently displays the word “protein” and the claim of “10g protein” per bar, deceives consumers into believing that the primary macronutrient they will retain from the bars is protein.

However, the complaint claims that, in reality, the bars are “primarily composed of carbohydrate,” including 8 grams of sugar.

“They are really just sugar bars masquerading as protein bars,” the case summarizes.

The suit also alleges that, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), only 7.5 of the bars’ 10 grams of protein are fully digestible by the human body, due to the products’ amino acid composition. This means that consumers receive even less protein from the bars than advertised, on top of the alleged macronutrient deficiency, the case claims.

For example, the filing says that a caloric breakdown of Laird’s Chocolate Mint Protein Bar shows that the bar contains 88 calories from carbs, 63 from fats and only 30 from protein.

According to the lawsuit, the overconsumption of carbohydrates is believed to be a primary cause leading to conditions such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

According to the lawsuit, the Laird protein bars contain enough sugar, between their various sweeteners and carbs, to make sugar the “characterizing component” of the bars, as opposed to the advertised 10 grams of protein. Because of this, the suit argues, the advertisement of the bars as “protein bars” rather than “just a snack bar, sugar bar or simply a candy bar” is illegal under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, which requires a product’s front label to truthfully identify the item based on its most prevalent nutrients or ingredients.

Additionally, per the suit, the FDA specifically forbids the fortification of dessert bars or cookies with protein, specifically to prevent them from being misleadingly advertised as protein bars.

The Laird Superfood class action lawsuit seeks to represent anyone in California who bought one or more Laird Protein Bars or Picky Bars within the applicable statute of limitations period.

Check out ClassAction.org’s lawsuit list for the latest open class actions.