Lesson 8 Consumer Protection

Lesson 8 – Consumer Protection
Welcome to Lesson 8.

COURSE MATERIALS:

Please read the following section contained in the textbook: 15, 17 and 18

A group of parents sued Gerber claiming its “Fruit Juice Snacks” product packaging was misleading. The words “Fruit Juice” appeared on the package beside images of fruits such as peaches and cherries. In fact, the only fruit juice in the “Snacks” was white grape from concentrate. A side panel statement said the product was made “with real fruit juice and other all natural ingredients,” but the primary ingredients were corn syrup and sugar. The side panel also displayed the statement, “one of a variety of nutritious Gerber Graduates foods and juices that have been specifically designed to help toddlers grow up strong and healthy.” The actual ingredients were correctly listed in “small print” on the side of the box. See Williams v. Gerber Products, 523 F.3d 934 (9th Cir. 2008).

1. Is a “reasonable consumer” “likely to be deceived” by the Gerber packaging? Explain.

2. What could Gerber have done to avoid the claim made in this case?

3. Do you believe that the law was intended to protect consumers in situations such as this? Why or Why not?

Requirements:

• Two Page Minimum; 12-point Times New Roman; double spaced; and page numbering.

• Please be sure to answer the entire question to receive maximum credit for this assignment.

• Use and include information from the weekly course content and outside sources to support the conclusions contained in the paper.

• Be cognizant of spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

• All sources should be cited in proper APA format (in-text citations and a reference list).

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Lesson 8 Consumer Protection

Question one A reasonable consumer will most probably be deceived by Gerber packaging. In this day and age, customers are keen on packaging since most of them are compelled to purchase a given commodity based on the ingredient and nutrition content indicated in the packaging label (Negowetti, 2013). Also, most companies provide a fine print in their packaging to leverage their subliminal expectation. While most consumers believe that the print on the food products means that whatever they are purchasing is healthier and contains the right ingredient as indicated in the label; however, the manufacturer may be taking advantage to print the wrong tags and to take advantage of deceiving the customers to increase their sales. Therefore, the Gerber packaging is misleading since their product packaging contains…