Bought Dole fruit cups? You may be entitled to part of $4.3 million settlement
Dole said its fruit cups contained “100% juice” — now the popular lunch box snacks may make you eligible for cash payment, according to a lawsuit.
Customers who bought Dole fruit bowls over a roughly six-year period starting in January 2017 could get paid under the terms of a $4.3 million class-action settlement. There’s still time to file a claim, with the deadline less than a week away.
Dole Packaged Foods, the company behind Dole Fruit Bowls, agreed to settle a complaint accusing the company of touting fruit cups in “100% fruit juice” even though the snacks contain trace amounts of citric and/or ascorbic acid, according to the settlement administrator’s website.
Dole denied any wrongdoing, saying its products have “always been appropriately marketed and labeled.”
McClatchy News reached out to Dole Packaged Foods for comment Sept. 19 and was awaiting a response.
Customers looking for a cut of the settlement have until Monday, Sept. 25. to file a claim.
Here’s what to know as the due date looms.
Who’s eligible?
Customers who bought select Dole fruit bowl products, in-store or online, in the U.S. between Jan. 12, 2017, and June 27, 2023 are eligible to file a claim, the administrator’s website states.
Eligible products labeled “in 100% juice” or “in 100% fruit juice” include:
- Cherry mixed fruit
- Diced apples
- Diced pears
- Diced/chunk mango
- Papaya mango
- Peach mango
- Mandarin oranges
- Mixed fruit
- Pineapple chunks/slices/tidbits/crushed
- Pineapple Paradise
- Red Grapefruit Sunrise
- Melon Medley
- Tropical fruit
- Diced/sliced peaches
How do I file a claim?
Claim forms can be completed and submitted online or printed and mailed, according to the settlement administrator’s website. Mailed forms must be postmarked no later than 11:59 p.m. CT on Sept. 25.
Claims are limited to one per household.
How much will I be paid?
Eligible customers who submit a valid claim and provide proof of purchase may be refunded up to $18, the website says. Those without proof of purchase may receive up to $9.
Administrators advised the payments may be higher or lower depending on the number of valid claims received during the claims process.
When will I get paid?
A hearing to review the settlement is set for Oct. 26, administrators said. If approved, payments will be issued 60 days after the settlement, but only after any appeals are resolved.
This process can be lengthy, administrators said, and may take months or years.
This story was originally published September 20, 2023 at 6:47 AM with the headline "Bought Dole fruit cups? You may be entitled to part of $4.3 million settlement."