Bought a Clif Bar? You could be paid as part of a class action settlement
NEW YORK (WPIX) – If you purchased a Clif Bar within the last few years, you may be entitled to monetary compensation as part of a $12 million class action settlement.
A lawsuit against Clif Bar & Company alleged that Clif Bars and Clif Kid ZBars were unhealthy due to added sugars, despite being advertised with slogans like "Nutrition for Sustained Energy" and "No High Fructose Corn Syrup" on the product's packaging.
"Despite the compelling evidence that sugar acts as a chronic liver toxin, detrimentally affecting health, and despite that as much as 37% of the calories in Clif’s Kid ZBars and 'Classic' Clif Bars (the 'Products') come from added sugar, Clif markets these so-called 'nutrition' bars with labeling and packaging claims that convey a health and wellness message with the goal of increasing the price and sales of its high-sugar 'nutrition' bars," reads a complaint initially filed against the company in 2018.
Clif Bar had agreed to the class action settlement earlier this year, though the company has denied that its products are unhealthy and said the labels on packaging were not misleading, according to the claims administrator.
A representative for Clif Bar, or Mondelez International, its parent company, was not immediately available to comment.
To be eligible to submit a claim, customers must have purchased a Clif Bar or Clif Kid ZBar between April 2014 and March 2023 in New York or California, or between March 2019 and March 2023 in all other states. The bars' packaging must also have contained specific language concerning nutritional claims, as further described on the settlement site.
Eligible claimants may be entitled to a portion of the $12 million settlement fund. Those without proof of purchase may be compensated with $5 if they purchased up to 30 bars, $10 if they purchased between 31 and 60, or $15 if they purchased 61 or more. Those with proof of purchase can get $15 for the first 60 bars, plus $0.25 for every additional purchase.
Amounts may differ depending on the number of claim submissions, according to the administrator.
Customers can submit a claim online or by mail. Claim forms are due by Nov. 25. (Customers can also ask to be excluded from the settlement or object to it. These actions have a deadline of Oct. 22.)
The court presiding over the case, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, will decide whether to approve the settlement on Nov. 14.