How fresh is fresh? That’s the question at hand in a lawsuit brought by a group of Wegmans customers in New Jersey who say that just because the store’s rolls are technically put in an oven on the premises, that doesn’t mean they’re “store-baked.” The same group is going after Whole Foods in the lawsuit for similar reasons.

The lawsuit alleges that Wegmans is misleading customers by advertising its bakery rolls as “store-baked” because the bread is prepared elsewhere, frozen, then reheated at the store, reports BuffaloNews.com.

That description, however, would make the average customer believe that the rolls are whipped up from scratch at the store and baked fresh there, the lawsuit claims.

The customers are seeking class-action status and want compensation for customers in New Jersey’s Camden and Burlington Counties, for anyone who bought the bread products between 2008 and now.

Whole Foods is also named in a similar lawsuit, reports NJ.com, with customers alleging that the chain’s claims to making its own bagels, croissants, cookies, cakes, pies, muffins and rolls in-house is misleading.

“These individuals like to know what they’re buying. They shouldn’t mislead people that the baking is done on premises,” an attorney for the consumers told NJ.com.

Wegmans denies it’s leading customers astray.

“We haven’t deceived or misled our customers in any way,” said a Wegmans spokeswoman.

Both companies have requested the lawsuits be moved to federal court, as their headquarters are outside New Jersey, in Texas and New York, respectively.

Wegmans customers sue in New Jersey [Buffalo News]
Wegmans, Whole Foods accused of making half-baked claims about their bread [NJ.com]

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