Last year the mother of a 4-year-old filed a lawsuit against Nutella. In her complaint, she said she was "shocked to learn" from her friends "that Nutella was in fact not a 'healthy,' 'nutritious' food," as advertised, "but was instead the next best thing to a candy bar."
How about reading the label before you serve it to your kids? was my response. Fortunately, for her, the court is a lot more sympathetic to her plight and just ruled in her favor. According to The Consumerist, the court agreed that an advertisement for the hazel-nutty goodness is misleading and settled the class action lawsuit for about $3 million. If you live in California, you can even get a piece of that pricey pie if you bought Nutella between January 1, 2008 and February 3, 2012.
As a mom, I suppose I should be happy to see the evil companies trying to push unhealthy products down our kids' throats punished. Instead, I'm just aghast.
The advertisements don't claim it to be health food. In fact, the words in the following advertisement (one of those that was named in the lawsuit) says nothing about it being low-fat, low in sugar, or anything else that would lead one to believe it is. It says it's "made with simple, quality ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk, and a hint of cocoa. They love the taste, and I feel good that they're ready to tackle the day. Nutella—breakfast never tasted this good." That's a lot different than saying it's akin to broccoli.
Even if that's what you somehow infer, we tell our children all the time not to believe everything they see or hear, so why should we? If a mom has time to pay attention to a television commercial, then surely she has time to pick up a jar of Nutella and check the nutrition label.
It's a company's job to try to sell us their products, and it's our job as consumers -- and particularly as parents -- to decide if we want to or should buy them and how to use them once we do (in moderation most things, like Nutella, are fine). I'm sick of parents blaming everyone from McDonald's and their Happy Meal toys to cereal companies and their jovial cartoon characters for trying to make their kids fat and unhealthy, when it's our job first and foremost to determine what foods they eat and don't. It's a little thing called personal responsibility.
So congratulations on the lawsuit, but I find it ridiculous, and it's frankly insulting to consumers and mothers who DO read labels.
Do you find this lawsuit ridiculous?
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Comments 46
Stupid sue happy bitch.
Yes, I do find it ridiculous. Like the writer says, it's my responsibility as a parent to read the labels. It's my responsibility as a parent to say no to the Happy Meal no matter what the toy is, or say no to the cereal no matter how cute the little character on the box is. It all comes down to parents who want everything to be done for them. If you don't care enough about your kid to read a label or say no to a Happy Meal for the 4th time this week, then why should anyone else care about them and their health? Companies are in the business of making money, not raising kids.
Better to serve nutella on whole wheat bread then to feed them a lot of the cereals on the shelves.
When will be people begin taking responsibility for their own actions?
This makes me want to go hug my jar of nutella. How dare them insult my blessed hazelnutty goodness!!
But seriously...How stupid could this woman be? Its spreadable chocolate in a jar!! That SCREAMS healthy, for sure O.o
I do find the lawsuit ridiculous.
But I also find the idea of advertising Nutella as a good breakfast food for kids ridiculous.
So...
This is absoblutely ridiculous. If i was the Nutella law department I would be filing an appeal ASAP! It's not their fault that the mother can't take one minute out of her grocery shopping to skim the ingredient list and nutrition chart on the back of the jar and see that it's not that healthy instead of relying on the "opinions of her friends".
Now I'm in the mood for a nice extra large iced nutella latte. Lol
Great. Another precenent set for everyone to file needless lawsuits. TAKE RESPONSIBLITY FOR YOURSELVES! When will people learn. All of these frivoulous lawsuits are a waste of time,money and just feeds into people who can't think or act for themselves.