BELLEVILLE – An Illinois woman has filed a class action lawsuit against the Ferrara Candy Co., claiming the company markets its cookies as being made with "real Madagascar Vanilla" when the product actually contains imitation vanilla.
Plaintiff Angela Stumpf filed a class action lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Ferrara Candy Co., citing violations of the state's Consumer Fraud Act and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
The lawsuit alleges Ferrara Candy Co. owns the Keebler brand under which it sells Pecan Sandies Shortbread Cookies "explicitly" and "misleadingly" advertised as being "made with real Madagascar Vanilla" on the front of the packaging. Stumpf alleges the cookies are not "made with real Madagascar vanilla" or real vanilla of any kind, but actually contains only "vanilla flavoring."
Stumpf claims she bought the product, believing it to contain actual Madagascar vanilla. She adds that had she known the product contained imitation vanilla, she would have not purchased the cookies at all or paid a lower price.
According to the lawsuit, Ferrara deceptively and fraudulently misrepresented the products in violation of the state's Consumer Fraud Act and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
Stumpf is demanding a jury trial to seek damages for herself and everyone in her proposed class action lawsuit, plus court costs, attorney fees and any other relief the court deems proper. She is represented in this case by attorneys Matthew H. Armstrong, David C. Nelson, Robert L. King, and Stuart L. Cochran.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 23LA0396