Class Action Claims Red Baron Pizzas Contain Preservatives, Contradicting Advertising and Label Statements

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Red Baron-brand frozen pizzas have been falsely labeled and advertised as having a preservative-free crust and containing no artificial flavors, a proposed class action claims. 

Despite how the products are represented by defendant SFC Global Supply Chain, Red Baron Brick Oven Cheese Trio, Classic Crust Four Cheese and Thin & Crispy Five Cheese pizzas contain preservatives such as sodium stearoyl lactylate, enzymes and mono- and diglycerides in addition to modified food starch and hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, the 13-page lawsuit alleges. 

The plaintiff, a St. Clair County, Illinois resident, claims consumers paid a premium price for Red Baron pizzas under the belief that they contained no artificial flavors and had a preservative-free crust. By labeling the pizzas misleadingly, the defendant was able to entice buyers into paying more for the products than they otherwise would have “had the truth been known,” the lawsuit claims.

“Neither Plaintiffs nor any other reasonable consumer would expect to find the Preservatives or Synthetic Flavor in Pizzas labeled ‘PRESERVATIVE FREE CRUST’ and ‘NO ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS,’” the complaint reads. 

Per the suit, sodium stearoyl lactylate and enzymes work in tandem as an agent meant to prevent bread from going stale, in particular to preserve the softness of a pizza’s crust during its shelf life. Mono- and diglycerides also act as an anti-staling agent in baked goods by slowing the breakdown of starch, the case adds. 

Further, the Red Baron pizzas at the center of the complaint also contain modified food starch and hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, a byproduct of which is monosodium glutamate (MSG), the lawsuit claims. According to the suit, the only reason for including the synthetic food additives is to “create an MSG-like flavor” in the pizza sauce.

The lawsuit, which was removed to federal court on October 12, aims to cover current Illinois residents who bought the Red Baron-brand Brick Oven Cheese Trio, Classic Crust Four Cheese and/or Thin & Crispy Five Cheese varieties of pizza for personal, family or household use within the last five years. The case alleges violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. 

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