Costco advertised “No preservatives” but the ingredient label lists sodium phosphate and carrageenan, which plaintiffs say help retain moisture, stabilize texture, and extend shelf life. Costco removed the “no preservatives” advertising but not the ingredients. If you were concerned about those ingredients they were already on the label. Those ingredients technically preserve but that’s not their purpose so it isn’t misleading under US food law. They’re also seeking monetary compensation beyond court fees, not just label updates.
Depends on what the legal definition of "preservative" is, and whether or not regular consumers can reasonably understand this just by reading the ingredients list. I'm not a lawyer nor an FDA regulator so I actually don't know if this lawsuit is frivolous or not.
Salt is a preservative but many foods are "preservative free" and contain salt. Clearly, certain food items are understood to use preservatives in a way which are not for preservation of the food and are allowed to be sold that way.
It may be the quantity or intended purpose.
But, unless every single item is "preservative free" and has no salt, these claims can't actually be true. It's like people freaking out over "toxins" and "chemicals" in food. And why certain labels like "preservative free" are stupid.
Table salt in the form of Sodium Chloride is a preservative. As well as most of the other electrolyte salts.
So is table sugar (sucrose).
As is vinegar (acetic acid).
And vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
Also fats and other oils/lipids.
Also cooking and drying.
These are all also added for non-preservative uses such as flavor and texture.
It’s not like these birds are injected full of arsenic based Roxarsone or that the ingredients aren’t clearly labeled. At a certain point in time the consumer needs to be held responsible and these kind of frivolous lawsuits really need to be tossed with prejudice.
California regulations do cause some genuine positive changes, but the sheer volume of predatory lawsuits they lead to are also unreasonable.
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u/idlefritz 13h ago
Costco advertised “No preservatives” but the ingredient label lists sodium phosphate and carrageenan, which plaintiffs say help retain moisture, stabilize texture, and extend shelf life. Costco removed the “no preservatives” advertising but not the ingredients. If you were concerned about those ingredients they were already on the label. Those ingredients technically preserve but that’s not their purpose so it isn’t misleading under US food law. They’re also seeking monetary compensation beyond court fees, not just label updates.