A class action lawsuit accuses the makers of the Joseph's Bakery brand of breads of allegedly misleading consumers concerning how much protein is actually in their whole wheat bread products.
"With protein content being second only to taste in the eyes of the average consumer, unscrupulous manufacturers understand that marketing their products as being rich in protein, even if they are not is an easy way to increase sales," says the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The protein in Joseph' Bakery products is largely whole wheat flower, the lawsuit states.
"Given that whole wheat is such a poor source of amino acids needed for the body to reassemble proteins after digestion, consumers that purchase these products are obtaining approximately half of the advertised protein per serving," the lawsuit states. "Joseph's Bakery deliberately conceals the adjusted daily value of protein from consumers in order to deceive them into believing that they are consuming more protein and a more nutritious product than they actually are."
The suit seeks money damages, plus attorney fees.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys James R. Denlea, Jeffrey I. Carton and Stan Sharovisky, of Denlea Carton LLP, of White Plains, New York; and Michael D. Braun, of Kuzyk Law LLP, of Los Angeles.
Perez v. Middle East Bakery, Inc., U.S. District Court, for the Central District of California, 5:23-CV--02326.