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Spencer Sheehan, a lawyer from Long Island, is fed up with fake vanilla. @AnabelRsosa reported on why he says he has nearly 100 lawsuits pending against companies he alleges falsely advertise their products as "vanilla." THREAD: https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
1/ Sheehan has filed various suits in four states on behalf of consumers who he says have been deceived when buying products like milk, cake mix, or yogurt, to name a few. https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
2/ “'Vanilla' only describes the way the product tastes. It's not [always] real vanilla,” Sheehan said, asserting that the issue is that many products are labeled "vanilla," but they are not made exclusively with vanilla beans. https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
3/ Though the FDA regulates how companies can label their products, Sheehan argues some bend the rules. He has requested $500 million overall in damages concerning the labeling of products as "vanilla" in New York, Wisconsin, California and New Jersey. https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
4/ In a lawsuit filed against Wegman's Markets, Sheehan alleges that its generic vanilla cake mix product is deceptive: ”It is misleading to describe a vanilla-flavored food as 'naturally flavored' where it contains vanillin from non-vanilla sources…” https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
5/ “…because consumers will [believe] it is flavored with natural vanilla, from the vanilla bean.” For Sheehan, the products are endless. "We're talking yogurt, milk, dairy, ice cream, tea. Nobody looks twice." https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
6/ In another suit filed against Nestlé, Sheehan alleges that their vanilla-flavored almond milk creamer, which labels itself "naturally flavored," implies it "is naturally flavored with vanilla, even though the flavor is not derived from vanilla beans." https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
7/ According to vanilla specialist Dr. Daphna Havkin-Frenkel, ”The flavor industry is already a mystery. The vanilla industry in the hands of very few companies. We have a crisis because these companies do what they want.” https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
8/ Vanilla is expensive. To be more affordable, products are frequently made with synthetic ingredients like “Vanillin,” which is easier to produce than natural vanilla because vanilla has to be planted, grown and harvested – which happens outside the U.S. https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
9/ For their part Nestlé stands by their product: “Our Coffee-mate products are labeled in compliance with the law and provide consumers the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions.” https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
10/ Thus far, Sheehan has settled one case in July against Califia Farms in the U.S. Southern District of New York as a class-action. The case won $750,000 in reimbursements and expenses with an additional $5,000 awarded to each of the six plaintiffs. https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
11/ Sheehan's said his work has at times left him subject to criticism, but that it doesn’t bother him. “With anything you do, there are critics. The goal is to keep going.” https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
For @AnabelRsosa’s full story Meet the Long Island Lawyer Pursuing Nearly 100 Lawsuits Over Products Labeled as 'Vanilla’: https://ietv.co/2LPfvfJ
