A potential class action lawsuit claims Walmart’s avocado oil products contains a variety of other oils as well.
Shana Denny is the named plaintiff in the complaint filed October 23 in federal court in Orlando against Walmart Inc.
According to the complaint, Denny purchased a bottle of Great Value Refined Avocado Oil from a Walmart store in Brevard County in June 2024. She says she read and relied on this statement on the label and believed she was purchasing pure avocado oil.
“However, a recent study shows that this is not true,” the complaint states. “Defendant’s avocado oil is adulterated and impure. Plaintiff was harmed and brings this lawsuit on behalf of herself and a class of consumers that purchased defendant’s avocado oil.”
Avocado oil is “a rising star in the culinary world,” according to the complaint, which also says avocado oil is expensive to produce, so some makers cut corners by substituting other oils or mix avocado oil with cheaper seed oils. It says avocado oil is nutritional and has a variety of health benefits, including reducing arthritis and improving skin.
“They (consumers) buy products labeled ‘avocado oil,’ believing they are buying pure avocado oil, and in fact, receive impure oil that is mixed and adulterated,” the complaint states. “Due to its numerous health benefits, avocado oil is highly sought after by consumers, who are willing to pay a premium for it. In fact, avocado oil can be priced up to four times higher than its competitor, canola oil.”
It says a lack of enforceable standards keeps consumers unprotected from “fraud in the avocado oil marketplace.” A recent University of California, Davis study shows many retailers sell adulterated avocado oils that are “rancid or mixed with other oils.”
The label for Great Value Avocado Oil at Walmart lists avocado oil as its single ingredient. But the Cal-Davis study showed this product tested impure.
As a result, the complaint says consumers are being duped by the misleading packaging by not receiving pure avocado oil as they are promised. In addition, it says Walmart is overcharging consumers for the product.
“Denny read and relied on these (label) statements when purchasing the product,” the complaint states. “She would not have purchased the product at the price she paid if she had known that the product was contaminated with other oils, and that it was not pure avocado oil.”
The lawsuit seeks to have Walmart fix its practices and sell avocado oil with accurate labeling. Denny says she needs a court order forbidding Walmart from claiming the product contains only avocado oil before she trusts the company enough to purchase it again.
The complaint accuses Walmart of violating Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. It also seeks to have the complaint certified as a class action.
Denny and other potential class members seek a full refund as well as compensatory and statutory damages or other restitution. They also seek pre- and post-judgment interests, court costs, attorney fees, court expenses and other relief. They also seek an order for Walmart to engage in corrective advertising, labeling and disclosure.
Denny is being represented by William Wright and Kelly Mata of The Wright Law Office in West Palm Beach.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida case number 6:24-cv-1906