Holy Guacamole, Kraft Quality Controlly!

Lawsuit stirs up guacamole labeling controversy
Kraft, which is not alone in putting little avocado in its product, is accused of duping consumers.
Peanut butter is made from peanuts, tomato paste is made from tomatoes, and guacamole is made from avocados, right?
Wrong. The guacamole sold by Kraft Foods Inc., one of the bestselling avocado dips in the nation, includes modified food starch, hefty amounts of coconut and soybean oils, and a dose of food coloring. The dip contains precious little avocado, but many customers mistake it for wholly guacamole.
On Wednesday, a Los Angeles woman sued the Northfield, Ill.-based food company, alleging that it committed fraud by calling its dip “guacamole.” Her lawyer says suits against other purveyors of “fake guacamole” could be filed soon.
The suit, which seeks class-action status, highlights the liberty some food companies take in labeling their products.
If consumers read the fine print, they would discover that Kraft Dips Guacamole contains less than 2% avocado*. But few of them do. California avocado growers, who account for 95% of the nation’s avocado crop, said they didn’t know that store-bought guacamole contained little of their produce.

* If I remember the ingredient panel, Miracle Whip also contains “less than 2%” edible ingredients. Coincidentally, both are Kraft products.
Go figure.

One Response to “Holy Guacamole, Kraft Quality Controlly!”

1. Dave J says:

   November 30, 2006 at 10:17 pm

   Isn’t Kraft still actually a subsidiary of Phillip Morris, i.e., EEEEEEVIL Big Tobacco?