Kashi Honey Almond Flax Granola Bars Contain Less Honey Than Advertised, Class Action Claims

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims Kashi-brand Honey Almond Flax granola bars are misleadingly labeled given they contain less honey than consumers are led to expect.

The 15-page lawsuit says that representations on the product’s front label—including its name and a statement that the granola bars are “Made With Wildflower Honey”—suggest that honey is the only, or primary, sweetening ingredient. The case alleges, however, that the Honey Almond Flax granola bars are sweetened mostly with brown rice syrup and sugar and contain only a “negligible” amount of honey.

According to the suit, the front-label representations promoting honey as the main or at least a significant sweetening ingredient are false and misleading and have caused consumers to pay a premium price for the Kashi Honey Almond Flax granola bars.

“Defendant sold more of the Product and at higher prices than it would have in the absence of this misconduct, resulting in additional profits at the expense of consumers,” the complaint reads. “Had Plaintiff known the truth, she would not have bought the Product or would have paid less for it.”

The lawsuit relays that many consumers prefer honey to sugar as a sweetener in foods for reasons that include taste and perceived health benefits. Per the suit, consumers would be willing to pay a premium price for a product sweetened with honey.

According to the case, the Kashi granola bars’ front-label representations promoting honey as the product’s main sweetener are thus misleading given that the amount of honey in the granola bars pales in comparison to the amounts of other sweetening agents. As revealed in the ingredients list, the product contains a handful of refined sugar ingredients, including brown rice syrup, dried brown rice syrup and cane sugar, in greater amounts than honey, the lawsuit says.

The case states that brown rice syrups have a high glycemic index and no nutrients and are used by manufacturers as heavily processed sugar substitutes.

Per the suit, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stated that foods made with a blend of honey and other sweeteners must include on the front label a “statement of identity” describing the blend, such as “blend of honey and sugar” or “blend of honey and corn syrup.”

Defendant Kashi Sales’ emphasis on the granola bars’ honey content is misleading and has caused consumers to overpay for the Honey Almond Flax granola bars, the filing contends.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in Florida, Michigan, Arkansas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Kentucky, North Dakota and Utah who purchased the Kashi Honey Almond Flax granola bars within the applicable statute of limitations period.

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