J.M. Smucker Sued Over Alleged Solvent Residue in Coffee

J.M. Smucker Co. and unit Rowland Coffee Roasters Inc. misleadingly tout some Café Bustelo ground coffee as “pure” despite detectable methylene chloride, the Clean Label Project alleges in a suit moved to federal court.

The consumer watchdog group says it bought 25 decaffeinated coffee products to evaluate claims of purity, and they were tested by an independent accredited analytical chemistry lab.

Testing showed a quantifiable methylene chloride level of 130 parts per billion in Café Bustelo 10-ounce canned, ground, decaffeinated espresso, the Clean Label Project says in a suit now in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. ...