Thanks to a nearly $9 million settlement against Breyers Ice Cream, customers who bought its Natural Vanilla flavor in the past eight years may be eligible for cash payment. The original class action lawsuit, , was filed on June 26 in the Supreme Court of the State Of New York, Bronx County, alleging the ice cream company falsely advertised “vanilla” on its product as if its flavor came only from the vanilla plant when, in actuality, it contained non-vanilla plant flavors. Defendants Unilever United States, Inc.
, which owns Breyers, and Conopco, Inc., the advertising firm Breyers works with, “dispute all of these allegations and deny any wrongdoing,” according to the settlement, and the court “has not decided who is right.” “While we don’t comment on litigation, Breyers Natural Vanilla is made with naturally sourced, Rainforest Alliance certified vanilla, and is carefully crafted to deliver the quality and taste people have loved for over 150 years,” a Breyers spokesperson tells TODAY.
com. According to a from the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Unilever will be required to “develop a new Product formula” that does not include vanilla derived from non-vanilla plant sources within one year of the settlement becoming final. The defendants have also been instructed to compensate plaintiffs through a $8.
85 million settlement fund. This includes those who purchased Breyers Natural Vanilla ice cream in any size in the U.S.
from April 21, 2016 through Au.
