EconomyLens.com
No Result
View All Result
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials
EconomyLens.com
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials
No Result
View All Result
EconomyLens.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Lindt disputes US lawsuit claims, stands by ‘excellence’ labelling

Andrew Murphy by Andrew Murphy
November 12, 2024
in Business
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A
1
35
SHARES
439
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The chocolatier's lawyers maintained that the words "excellence" and "expertly crafted with the finest ingredients", printed on its bars, were unactionable "puffery", according to a decision by the Eastern District of New York district court. ©AFP

Zurich (AFP) – Top Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprungli is disputing claims brought by US consumers in a class action lawsuit concerning the levels of heavy metals found in its chocolate bars. Lindt has unsuccessfully attempted to end the class action lawsuit in the United States, which was launched in February 2023 following an article by a US consumer association questioning the presence of heavy metals in dark chocolate bars from several manufacturers, including two bars produced by Lindt.

Related

Lidl owes French rival $50 mn after ads ruled deceptive

Mattel launches Barbie doll with diabetes

United Airlines to resume US service to Tel Aviv

Celebs light up Schiaparelli to open Paris Haute Couture Week

Demna to bow out at Balenciaga in Paris Haute Couture Week

“Lindt & Sprungli disagrees with all the allegations made in the US lawsuit,” the firm told AFP in a statement late on Monday night. “Our Lindt & Sprungli quality and safety procedures ensure that all products comply with all applicable safety standards and declaration requirements and are safe to consume,” it added.

Consumers in the US states of Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, and New York had taken legal action on the back of a 2022 article by the US consumer organization Consumer Reports, concerning the levels of lead and cadmium in dark chocolate bars. The organization tested 28 bars sold in the United States. One of the Lindt bars was among eight found to have a high level of cadmium, while another was among 10 with a high level of lead, though neither had the highest levels. Two of its bars, marketed under the US brand Ghirardelli, were among the five classified as “safer choices.”

While bars from other manufacturers had higher concentrations of heavy metals—including organic brands—consumers insisted in the class action lawsuit that they had paid premium prices for Lindt because they believed they were “purchasing quality and safe dark chocolate.” They accused Lindt of having violated the labeling rules in force in their states. The Eastern District of New York district court denied Lindt’s motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.

The chocolatier’s lawyers maintained that the words printed on its packaging—”excellence” and “expertly crafted with the finest ingredients”—were unactionable “puffery.” The court decision outlined product puffery as “exaggerated advertising, blustering, and boasting upon which no reasonable buyer would rely.” The line of defense startled some newspapers in a country highly attached to the prestige image of its goods, with Switzerland’s NZZ am Sonntag weekly saying Lindt’s strategy had “dismantled its own promises of quality.”

Lindt, however, stressed that the use of a “puffery argument” was a “technical” legal response before a US court and not an admission of inferior quality products. That argument, Lindt told AFP in a statement, was merely “used to clarify that an advertising challenged by plaintiffs is not sufficiently objective to support the specific false advertising claim being made.” But nonetheless, it insisted that it stood by its claims of “excellence” and products “expertly crafted with the finest ingredients.”

“Our consumers can have full confidence in that,” said Lindt.

© 2024 AFP

Tags: chocolateconsumer safetylawsuit
Share14Tweet9Share2Pin3Send
Previous Post

Trump tariff worries trip up stocks rally

Next Post

Boeing expects post-strike output recovery to take several weeks

Andrew Murphy

Andrew Murphy

Related Posts

Business

Modi and Milei meet in Argentina ahead of BRICS summit

July 5, 2025
Business

Second day of travel chaos as French air traffic controllers strike

July 6, 2025
Business

Joy riders give Paris bike share system a flat

July 3, 2025
Business

France fines Shein 40 mn euros over ‘deceptive’ sales practices

July 3, 2025
Business

Tesla reports lower car sales, extending slump

July 3, 2025
Business

Tesla reports lower car sales but figures better than feared

July 2, 2025
Next Post

Boeing expects post-strike output recovery to take several weeks

Trump tariff worries trip up stocks rally, dollar climbs

UN carbon market inches closer after COP29 agreement

Climate cash should also go to nuclear, says UN atomic chief

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest
1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

New York ruling deals Trump business a major blow

September 30, 2024

Elon Musk’s X fights Australian watchdog over church stabbing posts

April 21, 2024

Women journalists bear the brunt of cyberbullying

April 22, 2024

France probes TotalEnergies over 2021 Mozambique attack

May 6, 2024

Ghanaian finance ministry warns against fallout from anti-LGBTQ law

74

New York ruling deals Trump business a major blow

72

Shady bleaching jabs fuel health fears, scams in W. Africa

71

Stock markets waver, oil prices edge up

65

Mattel launches Barbie doll with diabetes

July 9, 2025

The long slow death of Norway’s wild salmon

July 9, 2025

Can Kenya attract the outsourcing jobs of the AI future?

July 9, 2025

China’s snaps 4-month consumer decline but factory price deflation deepens

July 8, 2025
EconomyLens Logo

We bring the world economy to you. Get the latest news and insights on the global economy, from trade and finance to technology and innovation.

Pages

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Categories

  • Business
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials

Network

  • Coolinarco.com
  • CasualSelf.com
  • Fit.CasualSelf.com
  • Sport.CasualSelf.com
  • SportBeep.com
  • MachinaSphere.com
  • MagnifyPost.com
  • TodayAiNews.com
  • VideosArena.com
© 2025 EconomyLens.com - Top economic news from around the world.
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials

© 2024 EconomyLens.com - Top economic news from around the world.