Ghirardelli and Russell Stover Fined For Selling "Air" In Packages

California district attorneys won big for chocolate-lovers!

Don't you hate it when you buy a product, like chocolate or chips and all you get is a bag full of air? Well, Ghirardelli and Russell Stover, both owned by Swiss chocolate-making powerhouse Lindt & Sprüngli, have both been fined $750,000 and ordered to update their product packaging after being accused of selling “misleading” containers that were “predominantly empty” and had “large void spaces around the actual product,”.

The case was resided in Yolo County near Sacramento and prosecuted by Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig on January 9, 2019. District attorneys from Fresno, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, and Santa Cruz Counties all joined Yolo County prosecutors in reaching the settlement.

“Consumers have the right to expect full value in their purchases,” attorney Reisig said in a statement. “We will continue to aggressively monitor businesses and prosecute those that violate consumer protection laws.”

“Exhibit A” below filed in the Yolo County District Attorney's Office complaint showed the chocolate boxes and other containers, with rulers demonstrating the empty space.

NOW, hopefully the chip companies will take notice.

Yolo County District Attorney's Office

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