Chips, mayonnaise and cooking spray sold on an “avocado oil” label became the target of at least ten proposed class actions in August and September 2026, against Campbell’s Kettle Brand, PepsiCo’s Simply Tostitos and Siete, Utz’s Boulder Canyon and Good Health, Sprouts and Chosen Foods, after a UC Davis study questioned what oil the products contained. Every case is at the complaint stage, and there is nothing to claim yet.
Allegations Only · No Settlement Yet
This page describes class action complaints. The statements in them are unproven allegations. None of the companies named below has been found liable, no class has been certified, and there is nothing to claim at this time. This page is informational and is not legal advice.
What Is This About?
In the summer of 2026, food scientists at the University of California, Davis published a study reporting that most of the processed foods they tested that listed avocado oil as their only oil did not contain oil matching authentic avocado oil. Within weeks, plaintiffs’ firms began filing proposed class actions against the brands, arguing that shoppers paid a premium for avocado oil they did not fully get.OCA has counted at least ten federal suits against seven brands, filed between August 18 and September 17, 2026 in Illinois, New York, California and Louisiana. Campbell’s and Utz each face three. All are at the earliest stage. No court has ruled on the merits of any of them, and the companies have not been found liable. This page lists every case OCA has confirmed and is updated as new ones are filed or decided.
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Every Avocado Oil Lawsuit So Far
Newest first. Each brand links to OCA’s full page on that case, with the complaint, the products named and the proposed class.| Brand and Products | Case and Court | Filed |
|---|---|---|
| Kettle Brand (Campbell’s)“Avocado Oil” potato chips | Wallner v. The Campbell’s CompanyN.D. Ill. · No. 1:26-cv-11418 | Sept. 17, 2026 |
| Siete (PepsiCo)Kettle Cooked Sea Salt and Maiz chips “Made With Avocado Oil” | Floro v. Garza Food Ventures, LLCS.D.N.Y. · No. 7:26-cv-08115 | Sept. 17, 2026 |
| Sproutsstore-brand avocado oil chips · California buyers | Hood v. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc.S.D. Cal. · No. 3:26-cv-05362 | Sept. 17, 2026 |
| Kettle Brand (Campbell’s)Apple Cider Vinegar and Sea Salt With a Hint of Peppercorn chips | Gianne v. The Campbell’s CompanyS.D. Cal. · No. 3:26-cv-05306 | Sept. 15, 2026 |
| Simply Tostitos and Siete (PepsiCo)three avocado oil chip products | Golden v. PepsiCo, Inc.S.D.N.Y. · No. 7:26-cv-07389 | Aug. 31, 2026 |
| Boulder Canyon (Utz)avocado oil chips | Klappa-Cales v. Utz Brands, Inc.N.D. Ill. · No. 1:26-cv-10514 | Aug. 31, 2026 |
| Chosen Foods“100% Pure Avocado Oil” mayo, dressings and spray | Hebert v. Chosen Foods LLCE.D. La. · No. 2:26-cv-01908 · amended Sept. 4 | Aug. 28, 2026 |
| Boulder Canyon and Good Health (Utz)kettle-style avocado oil chips | Mayo v. Utz Quality Foods, LLCE.D.N.Y. · No. 2:26-cv-05126 | Aug. 20, 2026 |
| Boulder Canyon (Utz)avocado oil chips and snacks | Hunter v. Utz Brands, Inc.E.D. La. · No. 2:26-cv-01829 | Aug. 19, 2026 |
| Kettle Brand (Campbell’s)Sea Salt With a Hint of Pink Peppercorn chips | Heiland v. The Campbell’s CompanyE.D. Cal. · No. 1:26-cv-06598 | Aug. 18, 2026 |
What the UC Davis Study Reported
The study, “Authenticity of avocado and olive oils used as ingredients in commercially processed foods,” by researchers in UC Davis’s Department of Food Science and Technology, appeared in the journal Applied Food Research in 2026. As the complaints describe it, the researchers bought 27 products that named avocado oil as their only oil (14 chips, 7 mayonnaises and 6 salad dressings), tested two production lots of each, and compared the fatty acids and sterols in the extracted oil with international standards for avocado oil.According to the complaints, 48 of the 54 avocado oil samples, and 26 of the 28 chip samples, did not match authentic avocado oil; their profiles looked more like cheaper vegetable oils, and one resembled soybean oil. For comparison, 19 of 20 samples of foods made with olive oil matched olive oil. The researchers also fried chips in genuine avocado oil in the lab and reported that frying changed the key markers only slightly, which the complaints use to rule out cooking as an explanation. The study also noted that a higher price was not a reliable sign that a product contained authentic avocado oil.
What the Lawsuits Have in Common
The core claim in each case is that the label, usually a prominent “avocado oil” or “100% avocado oil” statement backed by an ingredient list naming no other oil, tells shoppers avocado oil is the only oil in the product, and that this is not true. The complaints argue that avocado oil sells at a premium over seed oils, that shoppers chose these products to get it, and that they would have paid less or bought something else had they known.The legal claims depend on where each case was filed: Illinois’s Consumer Fraud Act, New York’s General Business Law, California’s consumer protection and false advertising laws, and the laws of the other states involved, often alongside warranty and unjust enrichment claims. Some suits rely on the study alone. Others add testing the plaintiffs commissioned. The Kettle Brand and Sprouts complaints, for instance, cite fatty acid tests from an independent lab that they say fall outside the normal range for avocado oil.
What Has Not Been Decided
None of these cases has reached a ruling on the merits. The open questions include whether two samples per product, or a plaintiff’s own lab test, is enough to support a claim about everything a brand sold; whether a reasonable shopper reads “avocado oil” on a bag as a promise that it is the only oil; and how much of a price premium, if any, buyers actually paid. No court has yet ruled on a motion to dismiss in any of them.Suits against the same company in different courts, like the three against Utz and the three against Campbell’s, are sometimes transferred or consolidated so that one judge handles them. OCA will note that here if it happens.
Can Consumers Get Money?
Not now. A class action pays out only after a settlement is approved or the plaintiffs win, and none of these cases is close to either. If one does settle, the court-approved notice will say who qualifies, what proof a claim needs and the deadline, and OCA will publish it as a claimable settlement. Until then there is nothing to file and no deadline to miss.Questions
Why are there so many avocado oil lawsuits?
A peer-reviewed study by University of California, Davis food scientists, published in Applied Food Research in 2026, tested chips, mayonnaise and dressings that listed avocado oil as their only oil and reported that most did not match the chemical profile of authentic avocado oil. Plaintiffs’ lawyers began filing class actions against the brands within weeks, and every complaint OCA has reviewed cites the study.
Can I get money from an avocado oil class action?
Not yet. Every case is at the complaint stage. No class has been certified, no company has been found liable and none has settled, so there is no claim form for any of them. Money would only become available if a case settles or the plaintiffs win.
Do the lawsuits say the chips have no avocado oil at all?
Mostly no. The core allegation is that avocado oil is not the only oil, even though the labels and ingredient lists present it as the only one. The complaints say the fatty acid and sterol patterns point to dilution with cheaper oils such as soybean, canola, corn or sunflower oil.
Did the UC Davis study test every brand that has been sued?
No. The study tested 27 products, and the complaints rely on its results for some brands and on separate lab tests commissioned by the plaintiffs for others. Each case page on OCA explains what testing that complaint relies on.
Sources
• Lopez-Alvarez et al., “Authenticity of avocado and olive oils used as ingredients in commercially processed foods,” Applied Food Research (2026).• Complaint, Wallner v. The Campbell’s Company, No. 1:26-cv-11418 (N.D. Ill.), the source of the study figures as described above.
• The complaint and docket for every other case are linked from OCA’s individual case pages in the table above.
