Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.-headquartered food supplier Conagra will soon ask a U.S. judge to dismiss a class-action complaint alleging it artificially adds weight to its Van de Kamp and Mrs. Paul’s frozen fish products via overglazing.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago on 11 June, alleges Conagra “pumps up” its fish with the industrial filler sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and extra water to artificially add weight, "which may then ooze out as a white goo when the fish is cooked."
Total claims, if awarded, will likely exceed USD 5 million (EUR 4.6 million).
Conagra said in a new joint status report that it anticipates filing a motion to dismiss the complaint brought by two consumers who have purchased Mrs. Paul’s and Van de Kamp’s products in the U.S. states of New York and Massachusetts.
The motion, which will be filed by 23 August, will seek to dismiss the plaintiffs' claims for lack of standing and for failure to state a claim, the report said. The plaintiffs will oppose Conagra’s motion to dismiss.
Both the plaintiffs and Conagra have not engaged in settlement discussions and do not want to schedule a settlement conference, according to the document.
Meanwhile, no further action has been taken in ...