Whole Foods Faces Lawsuit Over Mislabeling This Snack Item

Whole Foods allegedly deceived customers into thinking that its 365 Organic Honey Graham Crackers contain honey and whole grains as their main ingredients, a class-action lawsuit argues.

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that Whole Foods must face the legal challenge filed by Chandra Campbell. In doing so, U.S. District Judge Gregory Woods cited a 2018 lawsuit over Cheez-Its being labeled as "whole grain," even though enriched white flour was the main ingredient, according to U.S. News and World Report.

"It is not implausible that consumers would understand the words on the box to say what they mean," Judge Gregory Woods wrote, according to the news outlet. (Related: Grocery Shortages To Expect in 2021, According to Experts.)

Woods acknowledged that he didn't previously know that graham referred to a specific type of flour. Indeed, graham flour is a type of wheat flour.

"This judge did not know that the 'graham' in graham cracker referred to a type of flour: The crackers might have been named after a famous person named Graham, in the way that Peach Melba and Melba Toast were named after an opera singer," he added.

A spokesperson for Whole Foods declined a request for comment from Eat This, Not That!, citing the pending litigation. In the past, the company has called the lawsuit "unreasonably literal," because a list of the ingredients can be found on the back of the box.

Woods dismissed related fraud and negligence claims filed by Campbell in an attempt to change the packaging. To get all of the latest grocery store news delivered right to your email inbox, sign up for our newsletter!