Sensible Portions class action alleges 'No Artificial Preservatives' claim is false

A class action lawsuit filed March 10, 2026, in the Circuit Court for St. Louis County, Missouri, targets Hain Celestial Group Inc., the maker of the popular Sensible Portions line of snack products.

The plaintiff, Samantha Jones, alleges the company deceives shoppers by printing "No Artificial Flavors or Preservatives" on the front of its Veggie Puffs, Veggie Straws and Apple Straws packages, even though those products contain citric acid, an ingredient the suit argues is both synthetic and a well-known chemical preservative.

According to the lawsuit, Jones made her decision to buy the products based largely on the "No Artificial Flavors or Preservatives" claim displayed prominently on the front of each package. She alleges she would not have purchased the snacks, or at minimum would have paid a lower price, if she had known that the claim was inaccurate.

Is citric acid an artificial preservative?

The lawsuit focuses on citric acid, a common food ingredient. Many shoppers assume citric acid is a natural substance found in lemons and other citrus fruits. But the complaint argues that the citric acid used in commercially manufactured food products is something quite different.

According to the lawsuit, commercially produced citric acid is not extracted from fruit at all. Instead, it is made in industrial settings by fermenting genetically modified strains of a black mold fungus known as Aspergillus niger. The plaintiff cites the FDA, the USDA, the Encyclopedia Britannica and numerous academic and scientific sources to support the argument that this manufactured form of citric acid is synthetic, or artificial, and not a natural substance.

The complaint also details that consuming commercially manufactured citric acid has been associated in research with adverse health effects, including joint pain, muscular and stomach pain, and shortness of breath.

It goes further by arguing that citric acid functions as a chemical preservative through multiple pathways.

According to the lawsuit, citric acid works by:

• Lowering the pH of food, slowing the growth of harmful microorganisms
• Acting as an antioxidant to prevent spoilage from oxidation
• Promoting antimicrobial activity against bacteria and mold
• Chelating, or binding, metal ions that can trigger food spoilage
• Helping retain moisture in ways that reduce microbial growth
• Directly inhibiting the growth of mold

The plaintiff also addresses a possible counterargument. A company might claim it adds citric acid only for flavor, not as a preservative. But the complaint contends that this distinction does not hold up. According to the lawsuit, it actually takes more citric acid to affect the taste of a food product than to preserve it. That means whenever citric acid is added for flavor, it is also performing a preservative function at the same time.

Does the FDA say citric acid is natural?

The complaint cites a series of warning letters that the FDA sent to other food companies. Those letters were issued in 2001 and 2010, and they were addressed to companies including Hirzel Canning Co., Oak Tree Farm Dairy and Chiquita Brands International/Fresh Express. In those letters, the FDA explicitly identified citric acid as a synthetic ingredient and a chemical preservative. The agency stated that the presence of citric acid in a product prevents a company from making "natural" or "no preservatives" claims on its label.

The lawsuit argues that Hain Celestial Group Inc. is doing exactly what the FDA has repeatedly told food companies they cannot do.

This type of lawsuit is not new to the food industry. Food companies have faced a growing number of legal challenges over "no preservatives" and "all natural" claims on products that contain citric acid. Courts have addressed similar cases in recent years, and in December 2024, a federal court in Illinois allowed a comparable citric acid labeling case to move forward, finding that plaintiffs had adequately alleged the citric acid in the product was synthetic.

What does this lawsuit mean for Sensible Portions consumers?

The plaintiff filed the complaint on behalf of herself and a proposed class of all Missouri residents who purchased Sensible Portions Veggie Puffs, Veggie Straws or Apple Straws at any point during the five years before the March 10, 2026, filing date.

The plaintiff is asking the court to certify the case as a class action, award compensatory damages reflecting the price premium consumers paid based on the false label claim, and order restitution.

Jones also seeks attorneys' fees, injunctive relief to stop the company from continuing to use the allegedly false label claims, and a declaratory judgment finding that the practices described in the complaint violate the law.