Seeds of Change Lawsuit Alleges Organic Quinoa, Brown & Red Rice with Flaxseed Contains Less Quinoa Than Advertised

Mars Foods US, LLC, doing business as Seeds of Change, has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges its Organic Quinoa, Brown & Red Rice with Flaxseed product is falsely advertised as containing more quinoa than it does.

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The 24-page lawsuit claims that Seeds of Change deceptively markets Organic Quinoa, Brown & Red Rice with Flaxseed with representations that quinoa is a main or substantial ingredient, as the product’s fine-print ingredients list reveals it contains only a “negligible” amount of quinoa.

The filing conveys that consumers seek out foods that contain quinoa because of its known health benefits. Per the case, quinoa is high in fiber, protein and vitamins that are critical for maintaining overall good health, making it a healthier alternative to rice. Furthermore, quinoa is a “complete” protein and contains all nine essential amino acids that the human body cannot produce on its own, the suit relays.

The case says that Seeds of Change deliberately designed the product’s packaging to “prominently” identify quinoa as the first ingredient in the product’s name in order to mislead consumers into believing that it contains enough quinoa to impart the ingredient’s health and nutritional benefits.

“Contrary to the impression created by the front of the package, the product’s ingredient list identifies quinoa among those ingredients comprising less than 2% of the product,” the complaint states.

The suit argues that Seeds of Change used commonly known information about the nutritional benefits of quinoa to induce consumers to pay more than what the product is worth, given that the back label states that the organic grain blend contains only a tiny amount of the touted ingredient.

While quinoa has more health benefits than rice, it is also much more expensive, costing roughly three to five times as much as traditional white rice, per the lawsuit.

Had the plaintiff and class members known that the Organic Quinoa, Brown & Red Rice with Flaxseed contained much less quinoa than the representations on the product’s packaging conveyed, they would not have purchased it or would have paid less for it, the complaint says.

The Seeds of Change class action lawsuit looks to cover all United States residents who purchased the Seeds of Change Quinoa, Brown & Red Rice with Flaxseed product through the date of class certification.

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