Breyers Must Pay Nearly $9 Million Over Its 'Natural Vanilla' Ice Cream Label
If you bought Breyers ice cream at some point over the past eight years, you might be owed money. Parent company Unilever United States, Inc. and advertising company Conopco, Inc. have agreed to pay $8.85 million to settle a class action lawsuit regarding one of the crucial ingredients in Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream and how it's labeled.
According to a press release issued by the Supreme Court in the State of New York, the lawsuit (originally filed in June) takes issue with how the "natural vanilla" label is interpreted. Customers may have been led to believe that the flavoring was "derived only from the vanilla plant and not from non-vanilla plant sources" even though the product does, in fact, contain non-vanilla plant products.
Even though a settlement has been reached, the defendants continue to deny any intentional wrongdoing. A Breyers spokesperson told Today, "While we don't comment on litigation, Breyers Natural Vanilla is made with naturally sourced, Rainforest Alliance certified vanilla."
According to the press release, "the Court has not decided who is right," and a fairness hearing will be held on November 21.If upheld, the ruling will also require a new formula for the ice cream to be developed within a year so that the product no longer contains any artificial vanilla flavoring.
Here's how to get your part of the settlement
If you had any store-bought vanilla ice cream from Breyers in the past eight years, you can file a claim by February 19, 2025 for your piece of the settlement. To qualify, you must have purchased any size of Breyers Natural Vanilla ice cream between April 21, 2016 and August 14, 2024. While the settlement for this class action lawsuit totals at nearly $9 million, most payees should not anticipate seeing more than a few dollars worth of compensation.
The settlement outlines that affected customers who join the class action lawsuit without proof of payment will receive $1 of compensation per product purchased, with a limit of up to eight products total. However, customers with valid proof of purchase in the form of a receipt, online order form, or credit card statement can submit an unlimited number of claims. You can apply for the cash payout at the official website or by calling 1-888-603-5137.