Lawsuit Filed Against Trader Joe's Claiming Lower-Than-Expected Caffeine in Low-Acid French Roast

Several coffee drinkers from California, New York and Illinois filed a lawsuit against Trader Joe's on April 24, 2026, alleging that the store-branded French Roast Low Acid whole bean coffee contains less caffeine than customers are led to believe. Tests on the French Roast Low Acid coffee show it contains half of the caffeine as a regular coffee blend, according to the plaintiffs.

Additional testing from competitors of Trader Joe's indicates the Low Acid coffee has 51% of the caffeine of Trader Joe's Dark French Roast coffee and 45% of the caffeine of Trader Joe's House Blend coffee.

The product label does not indicate the lower caffeine levels, the lawsuit states. Consumers purchase the product believing it is fully caffeinated when it is not, according to the suit. 'It is an industry standard that a coffee’s caffeine levels are not highlighted on the product’s label unless some process is used to reduce the amount of caffeine contained therein,' attorney Trenton Kashima, representing the plaintiffs, wrote in the suit.

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, the suit adds. The product does not disclose that it is decaf and half-caff coffee, according to the suit.

Everyday Americans are unable to discover the nature of defendant’s misrepresentation as they cannot examine the coffee before purchasing it, and testing the caffeine levels in a coffee involves scientific knowledge and equipment that is beyond the capabilities of a normal consumer, the suit states.

The lawsuit calls the advertising false and deceptive, forming a pattern of unlawful and unfair business practices that harm the public, according to the individuals. The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and for a federal judge to order Trader Joe’s to audit and reassess all prior customer claims regarding the product.

Trader Joe’s did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment.