Eggland's Best is sued over saturated fat claims for its eggs
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[March 14, 2024]
By Jonathan Stempel
(Reuters) -Eggland's Best, one of the largest U.S. egg producers, has
been sued for falsely claiming that its eggs contain less saturated fat
than other eggs.
The proposed class action filed on Tuesday in federal court in Chicago
by Richard Vilchis challenges Eggland's Best's claim on its packaging
that its eggs contain "25% less saturated fat than regular eggs."
According to the complaint, Eggland's Best claims its eggs contain 1
gram of saturated fat per 50-gram serving, compared with 1.5 grams for
regular eggs.
But the complaint said independent testing last August by San
Francisco-based Anresco Laboratories, which was hired by Vilchis'
lawyer, showed that Eggland's Best eggs contain 2.84 grams of saturated
fat per 50-gram serving.
Consuming too much saturated fat can increase cholesterol levels and the
risk of heart disease.
Vilchis, a Chicago resident, said Eggland's Best's "false, misleading,
and deceptive" marketing claim deceives consumers like him into paying
more because they believe its eggs are better for their health.
"No reasonable consumer would interpret Eggland's Best's on-label
representation about saturated fat content to mean that the products
actually contain more saturated fat than 'regular eggs,'" the complaint
said.
Eggland's Best is a cooperative.
"We fully stand behind our product claims, which are supported by
rigorous quality control measures including approximately 75,000
laboratory tests per year," it said in a statement. "Eggland's Best
remains committed to providing a superior nutritional product for its
consumers."
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jul/22/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png) Cal-Maine Foods, the largest U.S.
egg producer and a member of the cooperative, did not immediately
respond to requests for comment.
Vilchis' lawyer P. Renee Wicklund, a lawyer at Richman Law & Policy,
did not immediately respond to similar requests.
The complaint seeks unspecified damages for egg purchasers for
violations of Illinois laws against consumer fraud and deceptive
trade practices.
Saturated fats occur naturally in many foods including meats, dairy,
butter and some oils. Other foods such as vegetables and whole
grains contain less.
The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 6% of
calories come from saturated fat.
That equates to 13 to 17 grams of saturated fat for people who
consume 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day.
In 1996, Eggland's Best paid a $100,000 civil fine to settle with
the Federal Trade Commission over cholesterol-related claims in its
marketing.
The case is Vilchis v Eggland's Best Inc et al, U.S. District Court,
Northern District of Illinois, No. 24-02073.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Tomasz
Janowski and Jonathan Oatis)
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