The Kroger Company has agreed to a $1.25 million settlement to resolve allegations of posting inaccurate calorie counts on packaging and online displays for five types of Carbmaster Breads in California.
Local Impact
The grocery company began selling Kroger-branded, Carbmaster Bread varieties in 2021, and the calorie content information for five specific varieties had inaccurate information on both the nutritional facts and front of the packaging as well as online displays, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
These products were sold online and at hundreds of Kroger-owned Ralphs, Food4Less, and Foods Co. stores across California. Consumers complained about the inaccurate calorie information, and Kroger corrected the calorie information on the FDA Nutrition Panel but continued to use the substantially lower calorie values on consumer-facing portions of the bread’s packaging for at least six months.
For example, Kroger’s Carbmaster Hamburger Buns were advertised as containing 50 calories when they actually contained 100 calories, and the White and Wheat varieties advertised that they contained 30 calories when the actual calorie count was 50 calories.
Investigation and Settlement
Kroger also continued to advertise the inaccurate calorie value for at least one of the varieties for almost two years, even while the company was aware of the District Attorney’s Office investigation. The federal court imposed a $9,800 sanction, stating that the grocery company relied on arguments that were “clearly foreclosed by Ninth Circuit precedent”.
The company has a history of being sanctioned by courts for failing to follow court orders. “Food labeling laws protect consumers and help them make healthy food choices,” District Attorney Savrnoch explained. “Kroger marketed Carbmaster Bread Products to consumers on specialty diets while significantly misrepresenting the nutritional information of those products.”
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
