PepsiCo’s Quaker Oats has been sued by consumers in the US states of New York, California and Illinois, for false advertising over the ingredients in its oats product.
The lawsuits claim that the brand's oat product contains an undeclared ingredient which has been identified as a possible carcinogen by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In the documents submitted to the court, the plaintiffs claim that the company's oatmeal product contains glyphosate, a herbicide declared by the WHO as a carcinogen last year.
Consumers allege that oat farmers use this chemical to eliminate weeds and as a drying agent to spray before harvest, reported Bloomberg.
Though the lawsuits claim do not challenge the legal usage of glyphosate in Quaker Oats' growing or processing methods, they argue that the product's claim of "100 Percent Natural" on the label is misleading.
The complaint filed in federal court of New York was quoted by the publication as stating: "Quaker knows that consumers seek out and wish to purchase whole, natural foods that do not contain chemicals, and that consumers will pay more for foods that they believe to be natural."
Consumers also also blame the company for misleading them on the nature, quality and ingredients of Quaker Oats product. They are seeking PepsiCo to change its advertising methods, recall Quaker Oats products, and make refunds.
The cases in New York were filed on 29 April, while Illinois cases were filed on 2 May.
Meanwhile, PepsiCo defended its Quaker Oats products claiming that "Quaker does not add glyphosate during any part of the milling process. Glyphosate is commonly used by farmers across the industry who apply it pre-harvest."
Pepsi said that while the oats are thoroughly cleansed after receiving them from farms, any amounts of glyphosate that may remain are "significantly below any limits which have been set by the Environmental Protection Agency as safe for human consumption.", reported Fortune.
