Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether consumers who purchased certain Sprouts Farmers Market products marketed as made with avocado oil received products containing the type of cooking oil represented on their labels.
Sprouts Farmers Market sells private-label and other foods that emphasize avocado oil as an ingredient. The use of avocado oil can be particularly important to consumers shopping at health-focused grocery stores who intentionally select products based on their cooking oils and ingredient lists.
Recent research conducted by scientists at the University of California, Davis raises questions about the authenticity of avocado oil used in processed foods.
Researchers tested 54 commercially available chips, mayonnaises, and salad dressings that identified avocado oil as the only oil ingredient.
They found that 48 of the 54 products tested—approximately 89%—had oil compositions inconsistent with authentic avocado oil.
The problem was widespread across every category studied:
- 93% of avocado-oil chip samples were inconsistent with authentic avocado oil;
- 71% of avocado-oil mayonnaise samples were inconsistent; and
- 100% of avocado-oil salad-dressing samples were inconsistent.
Sprouts Farmers Market was among the retail/private-label names identified in materials associated with the testing.
Why Consumers May Have Been Misled
Avocado oil is generally more expensive than conventional vegetable oils, and UC Davis researchers found that foods marketed as made with avocado oil commanded prices comparable to or greater than products made with olive oil.
Consumers may be willing to pay that premium because they believe they are receiving authentic avocado oil.
The ingredient may be especially important to consumers who:
- seek foods made specifically with avocado oil;
- intentionally avoid other vegetable or seed oils;
- rely on ingredient labels when making dietary choices;
- perceive avocado oil as a premium ingredient; or
- shop at Sprouts Farmers Market because of its focus on health-conscious products.
If a Sprouts Farmers Market product represented avocado oil as its only oil while the finished product contained an oil composition materially inconsistent with authentic avocado oil, consumers may have paid more than the product was worth as represented.
Researchers Tested Whether Food Processing Explained the Results
UC Davis researchers used fatty-acid and sterol profiles to evaluate the authenticity of the oils extracted from finished foods.
Because frying and emulsification could potentially change an oil’s chemical composition, the researchers separately tested those effects.
They found that important avocado-oil authenticity markers remained largely unchanged during laboratory frying and emulsification.
Researchers also gave products a 10% margin for natural variation associated with factors such as avocado variety and geographic origin.
Even with those allowances, nearly nine out of every ten avocado-oil products tested were inconsistent with authentic avocado oil.
The research does not necessarily establish that retailers or manufacturers knowingly used adulterated oil. UC Davis researchers believe problems may originate with suppliers farther up the supply chain.
However, consumers ultimately may have paid premium prices for finished products that did not contain what their ingredient labels represented.
We Are Interested in Hearing From Consumers Who
- purchased a Sprouts Farmers Market-branded product marketed as made with avocado oil;
- purchased avocado-oil chips, mayonnaise, salad dressing, or another processed food at Sprouts;
- relied on avocado oil being identified as the only oil ingredient;
- intentionally sought to avoid other vegetable or seed oils;
- paid a premium for an avocado-oil product;
- purchased the product repeatedly;
- still possess the packaging, including a UPC or lot number;
- have receipts, photographs, loyalty-account records, or online purchase histories; or
- would have paid less—or selected another product—had they known the oil might not match the product’s representations.
Receipts and loyalty-account purchase histories may be especially useful in determining which products consumers purchased and when.
If you purchased Sprouts Farmers Market products marketed as made with avocado oil and believe you may not have received what you paid for, we would like to hear from you.
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.