Hain Celestial False-Ad Suit Not Proper for Class Certification

A false advertising suit against Hain Celestial Group Inc., challenging the nutrient information on the company’s food package labels for products geared at young children, was denied class certification by a federal court.

The parent-plaintiffs contended that with more than a dozen of its products, Hain Celestial violated a Food and Drug Administration regulation that prohibits front-label nutrition claims concerning food products for children under 2 years old. They sued under California’s Unfair Competition Law and also brought state-law fraud claims.

The plaintiffs proposed a class of all purchasers of the products—not just people who bought the product for ...