In a recent ruling that sought clarity on the use of the term “All Natural”, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit sided with Kind LLC, the manufacturer of nut-filled granola bars and other snack foods. This decision came with regard to a multidistrict class action litigation pertaining to Kind’s usage of these words on its packaging. The ruling, upheld by a three-judge panel, was based on the fact that the plaintiffs failed to establish a definition of “All Natural”, creating no triable matter.
In particular, Circuit Judges Steven Menashi, Eunice Lee, and Sarah Merriam all agreed that the plaintiffs’ definitions of “All Natural”, as stated in the case, did not convincingly engender a subject of factual dispute. Additionally, it was determined that the plaintiffs’ deposition testimonies were also insufficient to establish such a matter requiring trial.
The court stated, “Plaintiffs’ testimony, even taken collectively, does not establish an objective definition of how a reasonable consumer acting reasonably understands the term ‘All Natural’.” This intriguing verdict reaffirms the inherent ambiguity in interpreting terms used in food labeling and stresses the influence these interpretations hold in legal proceedings.