topic Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action in Kitchen

Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

ECBG — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 18:33:30 GMT

Aol story:

Wal-Mart's Great Value food brand has been slapped by a lawsuit over a cheese product it sold that allegedly contained wood pulp.

The plaintiff, Marc Moschetta, claims he was induced to purchase Great Value's "100% Grated Parmesan Cheese" at a premium price because he believed it was, indeed, 100 percent cheese. But it contains 7 to 10 percent cellulose -- a filler and anti-clumping agent derived from wood chips -- according to a complaint filed last week, which accuses the retail brand of deceptive business practices.

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and alleges "material misrepresentations" under New York law and laws in 42 other states. The 8-ounce cheese costs $2.98 on Walmart.com.

"We know earning customer trust starts with high standards for the products we carry," Wal-Mart spokesman Randy Hargrove told CNBC. "We take this matter seriously. We will review the allegations once we have received the complaint and will respond appropriately with the court."

The case has not yet been granted class action certification, but attorney Jason Sultzer said others have expressed interest in joining the case against Wal-Mart.

"The case isn't about consumers getting sick," Sultzer said. "Regardless of the price of the product, people are still buying the product based on the label, and families are being put off. Imagine giving that to your kid with their pasta .... We're very confident that the case is going to move forward, based on the allegations in the complaint."

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

millieshops — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 18:52:38 GMT

I saw the headlines last week, but didn't read the stories.

Was the wood pulp only Walmart or lots of brands of the grated cheese?

I actually think until these things hit the headlines, most people have no idea what they're buying. Why else would there be so much CHEESE FOOD sold in every supermarket when it's not really all cheese?

I know when I see the labels what I'm buying, but truthfully, when I have cheese served to me out of my own home, I have no idea whether I'm being given cheese food or real cheese!

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

Tigriss — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 18:56:29 GMT

He won't win this. Cellulose is in all products of this type. Cellulose is just the plant structure in plant cells, any plant. He won't be able to prove the wood issue. This story has been circulating since the tread of scrutinizing everything on an ingredient label. Googling it pops up wood pulp first, but keep looking. It is in all plants and ends up in all products including OTC fiber.

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

cotto22 — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:13:11 GMT

Whether it is actually wood pulp or plant stalks, it should not be in parmesan cheese, unless it is clearly stated so the consumer knows it is there. Is it the powdered stuff rather than the grated kind? I have not read the article, but will do so.

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

GCR18 — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:18:22 GMT

There was an article in the newspaper last week about this. It featured six brands that have this ingredient. I imagine most do. I don't think this fellow will win his case.

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

Tigriss — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:22:13 GMT

Cotto22, the ingredient labels say cellulose, so it is there for the consumer to read. It is in all pre-shredded cheeses. It keeps them from sticking together, like gummy candies and things. Another common source of cellulose is corn cobs from processing corn into its many forms.

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

Tigriss — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:23:44 GMT

Here is a quick primer on starch versus cellulose:
Cellulose - The Difference Between Cellulose and Starch

Starch and cellulose are two very similar polymers. In fact, they are both made from the same monomer, glucose, and have the same glucose-based repeat units.

There is only one difference. In starch, all the glucose repeat units are oriented in the same direction. But in cellulose, each succesive glucose unit is rotated 180 degrees around the axis of the polymer backbone chain, relative to the last repeat unit.

When bigshot scientists are talking bigshot scientist talk they say that the glucose units in starch are connected by alpha linkages, and that the glucose units in cellulose are connected by beta linkages.

Does this make any difference? It makes a lot of difference! The most important difference in the way the two polymers behave is this: You can eat starch, but you can't digest cellulose. Your body contains enzymes that will break starch down into glucose to fuel your body. But we humans don't have enzymes that can break down cellulose. Some animals do, like termites, who eat wood, or cattle, who eat grass, and break down cellulose in their four-chambered stomachs. So unless you're a termite or a cow, don't try to nourish yourself on woodchips.

Cellulose is a lot stronger than starch. Starch is practically useless as a material, but celluose is strong enough to make fibers from, and hence rope, clothing, etc. Cellulose doesn't dissolve in water the way starch will, and doesn't break down as easily. Breaking down or dissolving in water just would be a little too inconvenient for something we use to make clothes. Not to mention, a good soaking rain would wash away all the wooden houses, park benches, and playground equipment if cellulose were soluble in water.
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/knowledge_base/detail/cellulose-the-difference-between-cellulose-and-starch/

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

chickenbutt — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:27:53 GMT

While I'm not sure what all additives are acceptable, per se, I know that there are always additives to shredded cheese. I haven't purchased shredded cheese for as long as I can remember for this reason. Even with arthritis it's not that hard to grate some cheese. If it's problematic, then one can just run it through the food processor instead.

It wouldn't surprise me if Walmart got caught doing something unseemly. I remember when they got busted for putting chemicals/coloring in old meat to make it look 'pink' again and changing out the expired dates. IIRC, they got busted for this TWICE. I guess they figured the heat was off after the first time - or something.

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

Mothertrucker — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:37:23 GMT

Cellulose is the fiber that is in most plants and vegetables that we eat every day..in fact there used to be a bread that touted itself as highest in fiber because it DID use cellulose in the recipe...

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

kcladyz — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:40:54 GMT

@cotto22 wrote:
Whether it is actually wood pulp or plant stalks, it should not be in parmesan cheese, unless it is clearly stated so the consumer knows it is there. Is it the powdered stuff rather than the grated kind? I have not read the article, but will do so.

I agree. If i pay for cheese I expect cheese and the thing is walmart brands is usually repacked name brand so I am sure it is in other cheeses we eat as well

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

Tigriss — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:50:05 GMT

Wait a consarndit minute....it says that "he was induced to purchase Great Value's "100% Grated Parmesan Cheese" at a premium price ". Since when is GENERIC a PREMIUM Price item???? What did he think he was buying? Most block cheese and sliced cheese is also tossed with cellulose because it keeps moisture from forming in the wrapper. He is an idiot if he thought WalMart's generic products are premium.

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

cotto22 — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:55:19 GMT

@Tigriss wrote:
Cotto22, the ingredient labels say cellulose, so it is there for the consumer to read. It is in all pre-shredded cheeses. It keeps them from sticking together, like gummy candies and things. Another common source of cellulose is corn cobs from processing corn into its many forms.

If it is just in the package to prevent sticking, why would there need to be 7-10% of the package contents? I could understand 1-2% for that purpose, but any more than that seems more like a filler than a reducant of any sort.

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

Tigriss — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 20:30:04 GMT

He may have bought the big bag, and each individual cheese is coated on all sides. If it was the finely shredded cheese, then there was more of it by volume. BUT, don't let the stats fool you; you can make them appear one way or the other depending upon how you word it all. They probably calculated it by volume, so that percentage wouldn't be off for the big bag, 5lbs of cheese. This is consistent across the pre-shredded cheese industry. 100% chesse probably refers to the actual cheese itself and not the coating. The details will be in the fine print filed with the FDA, which will easily sink this suite quickly because the FDA allows it as use in food prodcuts.

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

millieshops — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 20:30:59 GMT

If this guy (and his lawyer who persuaded him to sue, of course) were to win - what do you think he should get in damages? If I were on his jury, I'd go to $1.00 --providing there's no mention of cellulose on the packaging. If it's in the ingredients and he could have known, I wouldn't vote for anything - not from Walmart, not from Kraft, etc.

Most of the class-action suits I see in the financial news just don't show damages that are serious. I'm all for law suits over serious issues - gas tanks that explode, airbags that detonate shrapnel come immediately to my mind. I'm just not for creating millionaires in courts. I once said that when I was being interviewed for a jury panel. Would you believe it? They rejected me!!!!

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

Nataliesgramma — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 20:36:18 GMT

i buy a hunk of Parmesan at my local Italian store and grate it myself.

You never what you are eating anymore....

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

Tigriss — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 23:22:46 GMT

Here is another fine example of how class action law suites turn out....This is the one on Subway sandwiches not measuring 1 foot long. Taken from Foxnews. The settlement part is a hoot!

Subway customers can finally rest assured that their "Footlong" sandwiches will be as long as promised.

A judge last week granted final approval to a settlement of a class-action suit filed against Subway after an Australian teenager in 2013 posted an image of his sandwich on Facebook that was only 11 inches. The image garnered international media attention, with The New York Post writing that it found four out of seven Footlongs it purchased in New York "measured only 11 or 11.5 inches."

A judge had given preliminary approval in October to a settlement between Subway's parent company Doctor's Associates and plaintiffs' attorneys. Final approval was granted on Feb. 25.

As part of the settlement, Subway agreed to institute practices for at least four years to ensure its bread is at least 12 inches long. The judge approved $520,000 in attorney fees and $500 for each of the 10 individuals who were representatives of the class, but no monetary claims were awarded to potential members of the class.

"It was difficult to prove monetary damages, because everybody ate the evidence," said Thomas Zimmerman, who was co-lead attorney for the class. Zimmerman said the attorney fees are being split among 10 law firms.

Subway said in a statement that it was pleased the judge found no wrongdoing on its part.

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

Carmie — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:19:51 GMT

What a stupid law suite. Cellulose has been added to many foods for years. Most of the . Low calorie breads, ,!rolls and cake and some cereal products contain cellulose.

it's listed on the label. You can't win a law suit if it is listed and not hidden. !You can't fix stupid!

Re: Walmart Sued for Adding Wood Pulp To Cheese-May Turn Class Action

Kachina624 — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 01:32:49 GMT

According to information released last week, all the brands of Parmasean cheese contained cellulose, including Kraft.

No product labeled Great Value is a premium product.