Class-Action Suit Targets Trader Joe's Low-Caffeine Coffee

Customers in California have filed a class-action lawsuit against Trader Joe's, alleging the grocery chain misled buyers by selling its French Roast Low Acid whole bean coffee without disclosing its significantly reduced caffeine content. The suit, lodged Thursday in the Central District of California, claims the product contains roughly half the caffeine of the company's standard blends, leading consumers to expect a full-energy boost that was not delivered.

The plaintiffs, representing potential classes in California, Illinois, and New York where the coffee is widely sold, argue that Trader Joe's engaged in deceptive marketing by positioning the low-acid coffee as a regular roast. Independent testing cited in the lawsuit revealed that the French Roast Low Acid has 51 percent of the caffeine found in Trader Joe's Dark French Roast and 45 percent of that in its House Blend. Compared to typical regular coffee, which contains 85 to 120 milligrams of caffeine per 8-ounce cup, the product falls short, aligning more closely with half-caff blends at 40 to 60 milligrams per cup. Further analysis showed it has even less caffeine than competitors' half-caff options, including 17.8...