Proposed Class Action Targets Glyphosate in Quaker Oats as Potential Carcinogen

A consumer has filed a putative class action against The Quaker Oats Co.
alleging the company falsely advertises its oatmeal products as “100%
natural” because it contains the herbicide glyphosate. Cooper v. Quaker
Oats Co., No. 16-2364 (N.D. Cal., San Francisco Div., filed April 29,
2016). The plaintiff argues the cancer-research arm of the World Health
Organization declared glyphosate—”a potent and unnatural biocide”
that the company sprays on oats as a drying agent, according to the
complaint—to be a “probable human carcinogen” in 2015. The complaint
admits the use of glyphosate is legal but asserts that its use in combination
with a “100% natural” claim amounts to misrepresentation. For allegations of breach of warranty and violations of California’s consumer-protection
statutes, the plaintiff seeks class certification, a compelled corrective advertising campaign, damages, restitution and attorney’s fees.

Issue 603