Pastry Complaints Fill the Courtroom

Breakfast battle

If you’re looking for a quick solution for breakfast, Pop-Tarts might serve as your option of choice. Although these toaster pastries are conveniently packaged and offer a large number of calories, they are also crammed with sugar and additives. Despite the lack of nutritional value Pop-Tarts bring to the breakfast table, customers have recently started complaining about the amount of berry filling in the strawberry-flavored Pop-Tarts. The customer reviews have grown increasingly skeptical, and following the charge of one customer who claimed she did not get what she paid for, a $5 million class action lawsuit has been filed.

The lawsuit was initially filed in August in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Illinois East St. Louis Division. The plaintiff has identified Kellogg Sales Company as the defendant in the case. Based on the accusations that the product labeling and marketing highlights a source of strawberry filling and promotes the illusion that the pastries contain a greater amount of berries than what is actually present, customers argue that the company is developing misleading advertisements. To the contrary, customers have noticed a larger presence of pears and apples, which substantially diminishes the alleged strawberry taste and subsequent nutrients.

According to the consumer arguments, strawberries offer a higher level of vitamin C, which contributes to immune and skin health. Pears and apples do not hold as high of a nutritional value. On the product label, the ingredients include red 40 and less than 2% of dried strawberries, pears, and apples; however, the amount of fake coloring is not included. While it is difficult to fault Kellogg for failing to provide a product that is nutritionally substantial, consumers are perhaps more concerned with the degree of false advertising that is taking place. In the future, consumers who are seeking healthier options may opt to divulge in a natural source of strawberries, such as those among the fresh fruit variety.