When you claim your company imports olives from Italy, you better make sure all of the olives originate from Italy. Salov North America Corp. found out about labeling accuracy the hard way, as the company recently settled a class action lawsuit based mostly on false labeling. Lead plaintiff Rohini Kumar filed the Salov class action lawsuit and within the document, he alleges Salov lied to consumers about the origins of the olives used to make the company’s “imported” olive oil.
On January 7, 2017, a California federal judge preliminarily approved the class action settlement. According to court documents, the label on cans and bottles of Filippo Berio olive oil states, “Imported from Italy.” However, within the fine print, consumers discovered that the oil olive contains pressed olives that came from other countries. The class action settlement contains a section that Salov shipped olives grown in other countries to Italy for olive oil processing.
Plaintiffs in the case emphasize where olives grow makes a huge difference in the quality of olive oil. Italian olives are considered by many epicureans to be the highest quality olives available for making olive oil. Hence, the class action settlement is mostly about consumer fraud in terms of product quality.
Kumar argued in court that consumers would never purchase Filippo Berio olive oil, if they knew the olives used for processing the olive oil came from outside of Italy. Salov North America continues to deny the class action lawsuit allegations, but the company settled the case to avoid costly litigation
What You Need To Know
Class members comprise consumers of Filippo Berio olive oil who purchased the product between May 23, 2010 and June 30, 2015. The olive oil purchased must have included the phrase “Imported from Italy.” The potential award for consumers that present a proof of purchase is $0.50 per can or bottle purchased. Class members that cannot prove purchase of the olive oil receive a lump sum of between $2 and $5. Proof of purchase claims allows class members to receive compensation for up to 10 cans and/or bottles of the olive oil. Proof of purchase entails a sales receipt or loyalty card that displays the purchase of the olive oil, along with a corresponding price for each can and/or bottle.
The deadline for class members to file a claim was May 2, 2017. Rohini Kumar v. Salov North America Corp., Case No. 4:14-cv-02411, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California is schedule for a final hearing on May 30, 2017. Visit the class action settlement website www.SNAOliveOilSettlement.com to review updates in regards to the time and agenda for the final hearing of the class action settlement.
