Judge dismisses lawsuit over heavy metals in Trader Joe’s dark chocolate

Key Points:

• A federal judge has dismissed a class action accusing Trader Joes of failing to warn consumers about heavy metals in its dark chocolate.

• The court ruled that the risks were already widely known, citing public studies and media coverage.

• The lawsuit also failed under Illinois consumer law, which requires direct omission in communication, the judge said.

A federal judge has dismissed a high-profile class action lawsuit against Trader Joes, ruling that the company cannot be held liable for allegedly failing to warn consumers about the presence of lead, cadmium, and arsenic in its dark chocolate products.

In a decision issued March 27, U.S. District Judge Ruth Bermudez Montenegro granted the retailers motion for summary judgment, concluding that the presence of heavy metals in dark chocolate was not a hidden or exclusive risk and had been widely reported in scientific studies and consumer advocacy reports.

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2023, accused the grocery chain of selling chocolate that posed a health risk and failing to include warnings or test its products for contamination.

Public knowledge undermined claims

Judge Montenegros decision emphasized that multiple public sources including Consumer Reports and advocacy group As You Sow had already identified heavy metals in dark chocolate products across the industry, including Trader Joes, before the suit was filed.

That public availability of information weakened the plaintiffs’ argument that Trader Joes withheld critical knowledge from consumers.

The plaintiffs cannot claim that Trader Joes had exclusive knowledge when this issue has been in the public domain for years, Montenegro wrote in her ruling.

Labeling and legal challenges

The plaintiffs also attempted to argue that Trader Joes failed to test its products for heavy metals and instead relied on vendor compliance. The judge rejected this argument, ruling that such reliance was standard industry practice and did not constitute a legal violation under the circumstances.

A separate legal claim based on Illinois consumer protection law was also dismissed. The court found that Illinois law requires a direct communication containing the omission in question a standard not met by the plaintiffs arguments.

A big win for the trader

Trader Joes has not issued a statement on the ruling. The plaintiffs have not yet announced whether they intend to appeal.

The decision marks a significant legal win for Trader Joes and may have broader implications for other food manufacturers facing similar litigation over naturally occurring or trace-level contaminants in widely consumed products.