Maxwell House, Yuban Coffee Canisters Incapable of Making Advertised Number of Servings, Lawsuit Claims [UPDATE]

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A proposed class action claims canisters of Maxwell House and Yuban coffee are mislabeled in that their contents are unable to produce the advertised number of cups.

The lawsuit alleges that if consumers follow the brewing directions listed on the back of Maxwell House Master Blend 26.8 oz and Yuban Traditional Roast Ground Coffee 31 oz canisters, they’ll be unable to make even the minimum number of cups represented on the products’ labels.

According to the case, the representations made by defendant Kraft Heinz Food Company that the canisters can produce between 180 and 210 cups of coffee have misled and deceived consumers given they’ve received fewer cups than expected.

“With respect to the Products, Plaintiff and members of the Class paid a price premium or received less than they bargained for, because Plaintiff and members of the Class reasonably believed the Products could be used to brew a specific number of cups of coffee, as specified on the label and in the advertising, not fewer than that number of cups,” the complaint alleges.

Per the complaint, the directions on the back of Maxwell House coffee canisters state that one tablespoon of coffee combined with six ounces of water yields one serving, while half a cup of coffee yields 10 six-ounce servings. The back label also claims that the product yields between 180 and 210 suggested-strength servings, the case says, noting that the Yuban label makes similar representations.

In truth, the products are not capable of brewing even the minimum amount of servings listed on their labels when the provided brewing directions are followed, the lawsuit argues. Per the case, consumers have received less coffee than they expected based on the canisters’ misleading representations and were damaged “in proportion to the servings of coffee not received from each of the Products.”

“Plaintiff and the other Class members purchased, purchased more of, or paid more for the Products than they would have done had they known the truth about the Product,” the complaint avers. “They were deprived of a percentage of the servings represented on the label, because following the label directions of 1 Tbsp of coffee per one 6 oz cup, the Produce [sic] is incapable of making the minimum represented number of cups, which is 180 cups.”

The lawsuit, which echoes similar cases challenging the number of coffee servings touted by the labels on canisters of Kroger’s Supreme Blend, Walmart’s Great Value, and Folgers, looks to represent anyone in the U.S. who purchased one or more of the Maxwell House or Yuban coffee canisters for personal use within the past four years.

The suit was removed to Florida federal court on October 20.

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