Lawsuit brewing against Trader Joe’s over coffee’s caffeine label

Beloved grocery chain Trader Joe’s is facing a new lawsuit from a group of customers who are alleging there is not enough caffeine in their coffee.

A lawsuit was filed in the Central District of California against the Monrovia, California-based chain on Thursday, alleging the brand’s French Roast Low Acid coffee contains less than half the caffeine of traditional coffee blends.

The Trader Joe’s customers allege that, while most coffee brands don’t disclose the full caffeine levels, there are brands labeled as “decaf” or “half-caff” to denote lower caffeine levels.

The customers believed they were purchasing fully-caffeinated coffee, though when they had the coffee tested they discovered that was not actually the case.

“This is a material misrepresentation. It is so common that it is now cliché that coffee drinkers depend on the caffeine contained therein to provide them with the energy they need to get through the day,” the suit claims.

“Accordingly, the amount of caffeine in a coffee blend affects a consumer’s purchasing decision. Additionally, for regular coffee drinkers, “decaf” and “half-caff” coffees are not a reasonable
substitute for a morning fix. Thus, these consumers would not purchase a “decaf” and “half-caff” coffee as a replacement for their regular coffee or would pay less for the product.”

The lawsuit contends that regular coffee contains anywhere between 85 and 120 milligrams of caffeine per 8-ounce cup, depending on the roast and type of brew.

Conversely, decaf coffee contains between 2 and 5 mg of caffeine per 8-ounce cup, while “half-caff” blends are between 40 and 60 mg of caffeine per cup.

The lawsuit contends that the French Roast Low Acid coffee should be labeled as a “half-caff,” since testing confirms it contains 51% of the caffeine of the Trader Joe’s Dark French Roast coffee.

They also tested the French Roast Low Acid coffee against other “half-caff” brews from other companies, finding it has even less caffeine than those traditional “half-caffs.”

The testing concluded the French Roast Low Acid had 17.8% less caffeine than the Folger’s half-caff, and 24.5% less than the Puroast half-caff.

The lawsuit further calls Trader Joe’s “prominent and systematic mislabeling” of the coffee, “false and deceptive advertising form a pattern of unlawful and unfair business practices that harm the public and allows it to charge more for the Product.”

The plaintiffs are hoping to stop the chain’s, “unlawful sales and marketing of its Product,” while also seeking unspecified, “damages they sustained as a result of the fraudulent sales and misleading marketing.”

They are also seeking certification for classes in California, Illinois and New York, where the product is predominantly sold.

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