Hershey Sued Over Pirate’s Booty ‘No Preservatives’ Statements

Pirate’s Booty falsely advertises cheese puffs as having “No Artificial Colors or Preservatives,” a proposed class action alleges.

Reasonable consumers believe the cheese puffs are free from artificial preservatives despite containing citric acid, a common preservative, the complaint filed Thursday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York says.

The US Food and Drug Administration classifies citric acid, typically derived from a form of black mold, as a preservative, the complaint says.

Hershey, which owns the Pirate’s Booty brand, “seeks to capitalize on consumers’ preferences for products with no artificial preservatives,” lead plaintiffs Lauren Stanzione and ...