Munchkin Lactation Cookie Bites Do Not Improve Breast Milk Supply, Production More Than Regular Cookies, Class Action Suit Alleges

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that Munchkin Lactation Cookie Bites are falsely and misleadingly advertised as able to increase breast milk supply and production more than regular cookies would.

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The 46-page lawsuit claims that although Munchkin, Inc. and Why Brands, Inc. advertise that the Munchkin Lactation Cookie Bites can increase breast milk supply and production “beyond what an ordinary cookie could provide,” the reality is “starkly different,” given that at least one peer-reviewed study has shown that the premium-priced Munchkin lactation cookies increased milk production no more than conventional cookies.

Per the case, front-label claims on product packaging state the Munchkin cookies are “Lactation Consultant Recommended,” and refer to the snacks as “Milkmakers” that include “Ingredients Traditionally Used To Support Breast Milk Supply.” However, the complaint says that a 2023 double-blind study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition evaluated claims that the Munchkin Lactation Cookie Bites could increase milk supply, which the suit claims confirmed that the defendants’ advertising and marketing materials are “demonstrably misleading.”

Per the filing, the 2023 study found that women who consumed Munchkin lactation cookies did not show a statistically significant increase in breast milk supply compared to women in the control group, who consumed ordinary, less expensive Famous Amos cookies. In fact, the study found that breast milk production increased slightly for individuals in the control group in comparison to those who ate Munchkin lactation cookies, the case states.

“Despite this clear scientific evidence, as well as widespread consumer complaints regarding the efficacy of the Products, Defendants continue to market the Products with representations that reasonable consumers would understand to mean the Products will increase breast milk supply more than ordinary cookies – promises the Products do not fulfill,” the complaint summarizes.

According to the lawsuit, scientific research suggests that about 60 percent of lactating mothers in the United States cannot meet their breastfeeding goals, with between 30 and 80 percent reporting a perceived lack of supply. Additionally, the suit says that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that about 60 percent of mothers stopped breastfeeding earlier than they wanted to, and that stopping was strongly associated with concerns over milk supply and production.

Breastfeeding can present “significant challenges” for new parents, and the defendants “exploit” parents’ understandable concerns about providing adequate nutrition for their infants by charging premium prices for cookies that do not provide the advertised improvements to milk supply any more than an ordinary cookie, the class action lawsuit alleges.

The filing adds that a 2019 article published by Science Based Medicine says that the correlation between consumption of lactation support foods and milk supply and production is “seriously lacking,” adding that there is “very little evidence” to suggest that lactation products are effective.

The lawsuit says that if consumers knew the truth, it would “crater” the price of Munchkin’s lactation cookies, as shoppers would be unwilling to pay the same premium price for the products.

The Munchkin class action lawsuit seeks to cover all individuals who, while in the United States and within the applicable statute of limitations period, purchased one or more of the Munchkin Lactation Cookie Bites products for personal, family or household purposes.

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