Meal kit company HelloFresh, which is available to consumers in the continental United States, is facing several class action lawsuits filed by customers this year. In addition, in September the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health notice over potential E. coli contamination of the ground beef products contained in some of the company’s kits.
The FSIS did not issue a recall for the HelloFresh meal kits in question because the products were no longer for sale. However, it advised consumers to dispose of the meal kits if they had already purchased them.
“Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away,” the FSIS said.
The class action claims against HelloFresh center around its auto-renewal practices, promotional text messages, and website accessibility.
A September class action lawsuit filed against HelloFresh accused the company of sending unsolicited promotional text messages to consumers. The Florida resident behind the lawsuit argues that HelloFresh violated the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act (FTSA) by allegedly sending these marketing texts.
HelloFresh allegedly uses an automated system to send the promotional texts, and the plaintiff argues that the messages invaded his privacy and intruded upon his seclusion.
HelloFresh is also facing claims that it auto-renews its customers’ subscriptions without giving them proper notice and without the customers’ consent.
The customer behind this class action lawsuit argues the company violated California’s Automatic Renewal Law by enrolling customers who sign up for the company’s services into a week-to-week automatic renewal program that results in weekly charges.
In a final class action lawsuit filed against HelloFresh in May, a customer argues the company failed to make its website fully accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired.
