Raisinets Slack-Fill Class Action Lawsuit

This class action lawsuit claims that Nestlé’s Raisinets candy are under-filled with raisins and have a significantly higher amount of empty space in the box, called “slack-fill.”  This packaging practice is misleading, deceptive, and unlawful.

            Raisinets are a chocolate-covered raisin candy that is made by Nestlé and sold at a variety of grocery stores, convenience stores, and supermarkets.  It is packaged in non-transparent cardboard boxes that do not allow consumers to see the contents inside.  Because consumers cannot see inside the boxes, they rely on the size of the box to determine the amount of candy within.  Instead of properly filling the boxes with candy, Nestlé fills the boxes with “slack-fill.”  Manufacturers claim that slack-fill prevents overfilling and keeps the candy in better condition, but this slack-fill is non-functional because the candy would not break without it.  Consumers have no way of knowing about this slack fill at the time-of-purchase and are misled by Nestlé.

            One plaintiff in this lawsuit, Lahonee Hawkins, is a resident of Rolla, Missouri.  On multiple occasions, she purchased Raisinets candy at a Walgreens in Rolla.  The purchase price of Raisinets at this Walgreens is $1.59.  If she had known that the product contained a significant amount of slack-fill, she likely would not have purchased the Raisinets at that price. 

            Based on the facts of the case, the plaintiffs allege that Nestlé violated Missouri’s Merchandising Practices Act and was unjustly enriched at the expense of consumers by producing and selling Raisinets with an excessive amount of slack-fill.

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Consumer
Tags: Deceptive Advertising, Deceptive Packaging, Excessive Slack Fill