Class-Action Lawsuit Targets Trader Joe's Coffee for Alleged Undisclosed Low Caffeine Levels

A class-action lawsuit was filed against Trader Joe's in California on Thursday, alleging the retailer failed to disclose low caffeine content in its French Roast Low Acid whole bean coffee, CBS News reported. Four plaintiffs who purchased the coffee, sold at Trader Joe's stores across the country, stated in the suit that the product contained less caffeine than typical coffee products.

The plaintiffs allege Trader Joe's falsely advertised the coffee by not indicating its low caffeine content.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs claim it is common practice to indicate a coffee product's caffeine content only when some process is used to reduce the amount of caffeine contained therein. The lawsuit states that full caffeinated coffee does not have any special labeling denoting that it is fully caffeinated, but decaf and half-caff coffees are labelled as such.

Testing shows the French Roast Low Acid coffee contained half the caffeine of a regular blend, according to the lawsuit.

The coffee was not labeled to indicate its low caffeine content, leading consumers to purchase the product believing that it is fully caffeinated when it is not, the suit states. The lawsuit claims that if consumers choose to purchase a half-caff product, they would pay less for it.

"It is so common that it is now cliché that coffee drinkers depend on the caffeine contained therein to provide them with the energy they need to get through the day.

Accordingly, the amount of caffeine in a coffee blend affects a consumer's purchasing decision," the suit states. The plaintiffs are seeking damages from Trader Joe's. They are also seeking for Trader Joe's to stop selling the French Roast Low Acid coffee through misleading marketing.

Trader Joe's did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment on the lawsuit.