CATrends: Adulterated Avocado Oil

A popular cooking oil is at the center of a new trend in class-action litigation.

Known as one of the healthier cooking oils, avocado oil is also sought after for its high smoke point, which makes it able to withstand higher temperatures better than other oils. But according to a recent wave of class-action lawsuits, many products labeled as avocado oil actually contain other ingredients that aren’t disclosed on the ingredients list.

“Reasonable consumers expect that the words ‘Avocado Oil’ means that the bottles contain avocado oil, not some oil that is adulterated, mixed with other oils, or is impure,” states a lawsuit filed last month against Walmart over the marketing of its Great Value Refined Avocado Oil. The lawsuit continues:

Similarly, when reasonable consumers see the sole ingredient: “avocado oil,” they expect that the product only includes that sole ingredient: avocado oil. No reasonable consumer expects that a bottle labeled “Avocado Oil,” has photos of avocados, and lists only “avocado oil” as its ingredient contains other, cheaper, non-avocado oils.

Six of the eight lawsuits filed against avocado oil sellers since the beginning of the year were filed in September or October. Other brands named in litigation include Good & Gather (Target), Olivari (Sam’s Club), Simply Nature (Aldi), Private Selection (Kroger) and Stop & Shop. All of the lawsuits are pending except for the case against Kroger, which was dismissed in June.

Each of the lawsuits filed since September cite product testing conducted by scientists at the University of California, Davis, who recently revealed the names of a dozen retailers they said sold adulterated avocado oil products.

Of note, the Aldi complaint alleges that the retailer charges $1.20 more for a 17-ounce bottle of its Simply Nature 100% Pure Avocado Oil (which the lawsuit alleges is adulterated with sunflower or safflower oil) than a 25-ounce bottle of its Simply Nature 100% Grapeseed Oil.

The lawsuits were filed by a number of different law firms in different states including California, New York and Illinois, and allege violations of state consumer protection laws.

Find more of our coverage on ingredient claims here.