COUNTYWIDE : D.A. Files Action Over Cheese Product

The district attorney’s office filed a civil complaint Thursday against a Washington state food manufacturer that allegedly advertised more cheese than the packaging actually contained.

The action was taken against Little Brook Foods Inc. and General Manager Steve Odsather, said Deputy Dist. Atty. David Fairweather. The Bellevue, Wash., company manufactures Lunch-To-Go and Kid’s Lunch-To-Go.

A consumer had complained to Ventura County’s Department of Weights and Measures that the lunch boxes contained fewer pieces of Laughing Cow cheese than was stated on the boxes, Fairweather said.

The department began an investigation in June and found 245 lunches at 11 different Ventura supermarkets containing less cheese than was advertised. They were taken off the shelves. Similar actions were taken by the state Department of Agriculture in Orange and San Diego counties.

The company issued corrective labels for the under-filled boxes, and new products on the supermarket shelves apparently contain the correct amount of cheese, Fairweather said. No one from Little Brook Foods could be reached for comment Thursday.

The civil complaint, filed by the district attorney’s Consumer and Environmental Protection Division, seeks a fine and a permanent injunction against the company to prevent any future under-filling, Fairweather said.