Kettle Brand class action lawsuit claims avocado oil chips don't contain avocado oil

Diana Heiland filed a class action lawsuit against The Campbell's Co., d/b/a Kettle Brand, on Aug. 18, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

The complaint claims Kettle Brand avocado oil sea salt with a hint of pink peppercorn potato chips contain various seed oils and no avocado oil.

Heiland's experience

The front of the package of chips at issue reads "made with avocado oil" beside a drawing of an avocado, and the ingredients list on the back names avocado oil as the only oil, the proposed class action claims.

A 6-ounce bag costs about $0.62 to $0.83 an ounce compared to $0.36 an ounce for Lay's classic chips, which uses vegetable oil, according to the filing.

Heiland, who says she avoids seed oils, claims she purchased the chips most recently in August 2026 at a Walmart in Fresno. Had she known the product contained other oils, she would not have purchased them or would have paid substantially less, the suit alleges.

What UC Davis researchers reportedly found

The case cites a peer-reviewed study that ran in July 2026 in Applied Food Research. Food scientists at the University of California, Davis, reportedly analyzed 74 samples across 37 commercial products, pulling two production lots of each.

Every oil carries a chemical fingerprint in its fatty acids and sterols, according to the study. Researchers measured the fingerprint of the oil inside the chips, and it did not match avocado oil, the complaint states. Instead, it allegedly matched canola, corn, soybean and sunflower oil, and both lots returned the same results.

Eighty-nine percent of avocado oil products the study tested failed, as well as 26 of 28 chip samples, according to the proposed class action. Researchers reportedly checked whether cooking could account for the difference. They fried real avocado oil themselves, and the oil fingerprint barely moved, the filing says.

The problem reportedly predates this study. In 2020, UC Davis found that 82% of bottled avocado oil had gone stale or contained other oils, and a 2023 study found only a third of store-brand oils were pure. As a subsidiary of one of the world's largest food companies, Kettle Brand knew, or should have known, about the issues with avocado oil, the lawsuit alleges.

The legal claims

The lawsuit brings five counts:

  • California Consumers Legal Remedies Act, which bars representing that goods have ingredients or qualities they lack
  • California Unfair Competition Law, which covers unlawful, unfair and fraudulent business practices
  • California False Advertising Law, which prohibits untrue or misleading statements made to sell a product
  • Breach of express warranty, which claims that a packaging promise becomes part of the bargain
  • Unjust enrichment, which applies when a company keeps money it obtained unfairly

What this means for chip buyers

Heiland asks the court to certify California and nationwide classes, declare the labeling unlawful, halt the avocado oil marketing and award restitution plus fees and costs. The Campbell's Co. has not yet responded. There is no settlement, claims process or money available at this time.