“Lindt & Sprüngli does not agree with the allegations made in this legal action in the United States,” he told AFP on Monday evening.
Cadmium and lead in tablets
Consumers in Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada and New York took legal action after the publication of an article by the Consumer Reports association which tested 28 products marketed in the United States to assess the levels of cadmium and lead, two heavy metals often present in dark chocolate bars.
One of the Lindt & Sprüngli tablets was among the eight with a high level of cadmium and another among the ten with a high level of lead, without obtaining the worst marks. Two tablets from the Swiss group, manufactured by its American brand Ghirardelli, were even classified among the safest.
If bars from other manufacturers, including organic brands, had higher concentrations of heavy metals, the plaintiffs claim that they paid more to buy products from Lindt & Sprüngli in order to afford quality chocolate .
They accuse the Swiss group of having violated the labeling rules in force in their States, explaining that they would not have purchased these tablets or would have paid less if they had been informed of the presence or risk of presence heavy metals.
“Exaggerated advertising”
“Our quality and safety procedures at Lindt & Sprüngli ensure that all products comply with applicable safety standards and required declarations,” refuted the Swiss chocolatier.
Lindt & Sprüngli attempted to dismiss this collective complaint but was dismissed at first instance in early September by a Court in the Eastern District of New York.
But the arguments used by its lawyers have caused a lot of ink to flow in Switzerland, a country very attached to the quality image of its products.
On Sunday, German-language newspaper NZZ am Sonntag revealed that its lawyers used an argument that appears to torpedo the Swiss chocolatier’s image by calling the words “excellence” and “made with quality ingredients” on its bars “puffery.” or “exaggerated advertising”, insufficient to incur liability.
However, it is a “technical” term, used by lawyers in “legal procedures in the United States”, declared a spokesperson for the group to AFP, reaffirming that consumers can have “full confidence » in Lindt & Sprüngli products.
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