Nestle Facing False Advertising Claims Over ‘Artificially Flavored’ SweeTARTS Products

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Nestle USA, Inc., maker of SweeTARTS products, has been accused of mislabeling its candies as containing “no artificial flavors” when, in reality, the products are flavored with the synthetic chemical malic acid. The plaintiff in the case says she purchased SweeTARTS products under the impression that they were made with “all natural” ingredients as represented by the labels’ promises that the candies were not artificially flavored. She discovered, however, that the products contain the artificial version of malic acid, the suit continues, which is “a synthetic petrochemical that confers a ‘tart, fruit-like’ flavor that simulates the flavor of actual fruit.”

According to the complaint, the defendant violated California law by failing to disclose the presence of the artificial flavoring ingredient on its products’ front labels. On top of that, the case adds, Nestle should have specified that it used d-l malic acid – the synthetic form of the chemical – as opposed to l-malic acid, which the suit notes “occurs naturally in various foods.”

The plaintiff argues that she paid a premium price for the defendant’s products based on its misrepresentations and demands that the company re-label its products and “conduct a corrective advertising campaign to fully inform California consumers.”

The suit names the following potentially deceptive products: