Advertisement

Nestle facing $5 million lawsuit over trans fat in frozen pizzas

A $5 million class action lawsuit is heating up in California – and it’s all about pizza.

The lawsuit is aimed at Nestle and its store-bought frozen pizza brands Dijornos, Stouffer’s and California Pizza Kitchen. It was brought on by Katie Simpson, a San Diego resident who claims that the brands are “deliberately poisoning their consumers” with trans fat pizzas containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

In a 16-page complaint, Simpson says that “artificial trans fat is a toxic carcinogen for which there are many safe and commercially acceptable substitutes.”

She claims that she “repeatedly purchased Nestle trans fat pizzas for personal and household consumption,” yet at the time of purchase, she had no idea the pizzas contained trans fats.

"Katie has two young children and she likes to make pizza for them, and all kids love pizza," her attorney, Greg Watson, tells Good Morning America. "It shouldn't have a toxic food additive that's been banned all around the world."

Trans fats are currently banned from restaurants in the state of California, as well as in New York City and Philadelphia – but there is no ban on trans fats in packaged foods.

Other countries around the world like Denmark and Sweden have also passed laws banning the sale of trans-fat foods.

Here in Canada, The House of Commons considered a similar ban in 2004, but it was never passed. Since then, new labelling laws have come into effect, and many companies are cutting back. In 2008, Calgary became the first Canadian city to require restaurants to cut their trans fats.

Trans fat can lead to increased cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease, reports the Mayo Clinic. And saturated and trans fat have also been linked to Alzheimer’s in at least one study, reports ABC.

The complaint filed by Simpson claims the trans fat used in Nestle pizzas causes cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and various cancers.

In a recent statement, Nestle says they have received a copy of the lawsuit and are in the process of reviewing it. They also say all their products are in “strict compliance with both FDA and USDA regulations.”

This isn’t the first lawsuit a major company has faced over trans fats.

In 2005, McDonald’s paid $8.5 million to settle two lawsuits regarding trans fats in its cooking oils. And last year, an Illinois court dismissed a lawsuit that claimed words like “wholesome” and “hearty healthy” on Quaker Oats products were misleading because some of their products contained trans fats.