A class action lawsuit has been filed against ConAgra Foods Inc. alleging them to have violated certain advertising and marketing laws by selling Wesson Oil Products made from Genetically Modified Ingredients (GMOs) which were falsely termed as “natural” in its campaigns. ConAgra Foods Inc. has agreed to settle the lawsuit with a $3 million class action settlement.
Settlement website – WessonOilSettlement.com
Objection deadline – 03/22/2023
Exclusion deadline – 03/22/2023
Claim Form – https://secure.wessonoilsettlement.com/
Deadline for submitting the claim – 05/22/2023
Final Hearing date – 04/24/2023
Settlement amount – $3 million
Potential claim amount – Variable
Proof of purchase – Not required
The class comprises all natural persons residing in one of the 11 states mentioned below who bought Wesson oil products in that state for their personal, non-commercial use. The class period for each of the states is as follows:
- California: June 28, 2007, through July 1, 2017
- Colorado: Jan. 12, 2009, through July 1, 2017
- Florida: Jan. 12, 2008, through July 1, 2017
- Illinois: Jan. 12, 2007, through July 1, 2017
- Indiana: Jan. 12, 2006, through July 1, 2017
- Nebraska: Jan. 12, 2008, through July 1, 2017
- New York: Jan. 12, 2008, through July 1, 2017
- Ohio: Jan. 12, 2010, through July 1, 2017
- Oregon: Jan. 12, 2006, through July 1, 2017
- South Dakota: Jan. 12, 2006, through July 1, 2017
- Texas: Jan. 12, 2010, through July 1, 2017
The Wesson cooking oil products that fall under the purview of this settlement are Wesson Vegetable Oil, Wesson Canola Oil, Wesson Corn Oil, and Wesson Best Blend, all of which were marketed and sold during the applicable class periods as being “natural.” This process for creating vegetable oil was introduced by David Wesson in 1880 following which the Wesson Oil Co. was established in 1899. Wesson was acquired by Richardson International in 2019.
Under the agreement terms, class members are eligible to receive a cash payment after deducing administrative costs and other expenses from the settlement fund. Class members might receive $0.15 for each unit of Wesson oil products purchased during their state’s applicable class period on submitting a valid and timely claim form. The payment amount might be adjusted proportionately if all claims’ total value exceeds or falls short of the available funds. $575,000 from the total settlement fund will be allocated to members of the Oregon and New York class submitting claim forms or identifying for direct distribution. Additional amounts will be adjusted on a pro-rata basis for Oregon and New York class members depending on direct distributions and the number of claims.
