Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether consumers who purchased certain Trader Joe’s products marketed as made with avocado oil received products containing the type of oil represented on their labels.
Trader Joe’s sells private-label foods that identify avocado oil as a featured ingredient. Consumers may specifically choose these products because they prefer avocado oil to other vegetable oils, seek products with particular ingredient profiles, or are willing to pay more for foods represented as being made with avocado oil.
Recent research from the University of California, Davis raises questions about whether avocado oil used in processed foods consistently matches what consumers are told on product labels.
Researchers tested 54 chips, mayonnaises, and salad dressings that identified avocado oil as the only oil ingredient. They found that 48 of the 54 products tested—89%—had oil compositions inconsistent with authentic avocado oil.
Among the products tested:
- 26 of 28 chip samples (93%) were inconsistent with authentic avocado oil;
- 10 of 14 mayonnaise samples (71%) were inconsistent; and
- all 12 salad-dressing samples (100%) were inconsistent.
Trader Joe’s was among the private-label brands identified in materials associated with the testing.
Why Consumers May Have Been Misled
Consumers purchasing a Trader Joe’s product whose ingredient list identifies avocado oil as its only oil may reasonably expect that authentic avocado oil is actually being used.
The representation may be especially important to consumers who:
- intentionally avoid soybean, canola, sunflower, or other vegetable oils;
- specifically seek products made with avocado oil;
- perceive avocado oil as a premium ingredient;
- rely on Trader Joe’s ingredient labels when choosing products; or
- pay more for an avocado-oil product than they would for a conventional alternative.
If a product represented as being made with avocado oil instead contained an oil composition materially inconsistent with authentic avocado oil, consumers may not have received what they reasonably expected based on the label.
UC Davis Finds Widespread Avocado Oil Authenticity Problems
Researchers analyzed fatty acids and sterols—the chemical fingerprints of different oils—to evaluate whether the oils extracted from finished foods were consistent with authentic avocado oil.
They also tested whether frying, blending, or emulsification could explain unusual results. The researchers found that these processes produced only minimal changes in the relevant authenticity markers.
Researchers additionally allowed a 10% margin to account for natural differences among authentic avocado oils. Despite that allowance, 89% of the avocado-oil products tested still failed.
The findings do not necessarily mean that a retailer or food manufacturer knowingly used another oil. UC Davis researchers stated that adulteration may originate farther upstream with oil suppliers and that manufacturers themselves may not know that oil supplied to them is adulterated.
The researchers nevertheless noted that food companies can do more to verify the authenticity of avocado oil obtained from suppliers.
We Are Interested in Hearing From Consumers Who
- purchased a Trader Joe’s product marketed as made with avocado oil;
- relied on avocado oil being identified as the only oil ingredient;
- specifically sought to avoid other vegetable or seed oils;
- chose the product because it contained avocado oil;
- paid a premium for the product;
- purchased the product repeatedly;
- still have packaging showing a UPC, expiration date, or lot code;
- have receipts, photographs, or purchase records; or
- would have paid less—or purchased another product—had they known the oil might not match the product’s representations.
Please retain any packaging or receipts you still have. Because UC Davis tested individual products and samples rather than every avocado-oil product on the market, product names, UPCs, purchase dates, and lot numbers may be particularly useful.
If you purchased Trader Joe’s foods marketed as made with avocado oil and believe you may not have received what you paid for, please contact Migliaccio & Rathod LLP.
There is no charge to speak with us, and there is no obligation to take legal action.
Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or call us at (202) 470-3520.
Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is a Washington, D.C.-based law firm that represents consumers in class-action litigation nationwide.