Kroger to pay $1.25 million after California said its Carbmaster bread labels slashed calories in half

California officials have said some Kroger bread labels gave shoppers the impression certain products had far fewer calories than they actually did.

The company will pay $1.25 million to settle a California lawsuit involving the calorie misinformation on several Kroger-branded Carbmaster bread products, Good Morning America reported.

What happened?

Prosecutors said five Carbmaster bread varieties bore incorrect calorie counts on their packaging and in online listings, prompting allegations that Kroger violated California's false advertising and unfair competition laws.

Sold in California at Kroger-owned Ralphs, Food 4 Less, and Foods Co. stores, the breads were introduced in 2021 with calorie figures prosecutors said the company had miscalculated.

Those numbers were then used on FDA nutrition labels and on the front of the packages in marketing.

Officials said the errors were substantial. They alleged that white and wheat bread varieties were marketed as having 30 calories instead of 50, while Carbmaster Hamburger Buns were presented as 50-calorie products even though they actually contained 100 calories.

For at least one bread variety, officials said, the wrong calorie information stayed online "for nearly two years, even after the company was aware of the District Attorney's investigation." 

They also alleged Kroger "continued advertising the substantially lower, incorrect calorie value on the consumer-facing portions of the packaging for at least six months" after consumers complained and label corrections began.

Why does it matter?

Nutrition labels help shoppers make decisions about calories and diet plans. Officials said the incorrect information appeared both in stores and online.

What's being done?

District attorneys in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Riverside counties brought the case.

"As one of the largest food manufacturers and retailers in the United States, Kroger had a responsibility to ensure its representations about nutritional information were accurate, and it failed," Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch said. "California consumers deserve better."

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