--- title: Court Certifies Class in PFAS Pet Food Labeling Case Against Smucker description: "The Jeruchim certification reinforces a rising trend within class action matters: courts are increasingly comfortable certifying classes involving chemical‑exposure omissions where the harm is economic." --- #### [![ams-litigation-new-logo](https://blog.ams-litigation.com/hubfs/ams-litigation-new-logo.svg)](https://ams-litigation.com) - [Home](https://ams-litigation.com/) - [Services](https://ams-litigation.com/services/) - [Trademark Surveys](https://ams-litigation.com/services/trademark-surveys/) - [Likelihood of Confusion](https://ams-litigation.com/services/trademark-surveys/likelihood-of-confusion/) - [Dilution](https://ams-litigation.com/services/trademark-surveys/dilution/) - [Secondary Meaning](https://ams-litigation.com/services/trademark-surveys/secondary-meaning/) - [Genericness](https://ams-litigation.com/services/trademark-surveys/genericness/) - [Deceptive Advertising Surveys](https://ams-litigation.com/services/deceptive-advertising-surveys/) - [Class Action Surveys](https://ams-litigation.com/services/class-action-surveys/) - [Claim Substantiation Surveys](https://ams-litigation.com/services/claim-substantiation-surveys/) - [Patent Infringement Surveys](https://ams-litigation.com/services/patent-infringement-surveys/) - [Content Analysis](https://ams-litigation.com/services/content-analysis/) - [Antitrust Surveys](https://ams-litigation.com/services/antitrust-surveys/) - [Rebuttal Surveys and Reports](https://ams-litigation.com/services/rebuttals/) - Experts and Staff - [Survey Experts](https://ams-litigation.com/survey-experts/) - [Staff](https://ams-litigation.com/staff/) - Knowledge Center - [Case Studies](https://ams-litigation.com/case-studies/) - [Webinars](https://ams-litigation.com/webinars/) - [FAQ](https://ams-litigation.com/faq/) - [Resource](https://ams-litigation.com/resource-guides/) - [Blog](https://ams-litigation.com/blog/) - Join Us - [Why Work at AMS](https://www.ams-inc.com/why-work-at-ams/) - [Roles and Career Paths](https://www.ams-inc.com/roles-and-career-paths/) - [Contact Us](https://ams-litigation.com/contact-us/) ![banner Image](https://blog.ams-litigation.com/hubfs/AMS-Dec2017/Images/banner%201.jpg) - [Home](https://ams-litigation.com/) - » - [Blog](https://blog.ams-litigation.com) - » - Court Certifies Class in PFAS Pet Food Labeling Case Against Smucker # Court Certifies Class in PFAS Pet Food Labeling Case Against Smucker *Jeruchim v. The J.M. Smucker Company, Case No. 22‑cv‑06913‑WHO, ND of California* On January 22, 2026, Judge William Orrick of the Northern District of California certified a California consumer class in *Jeruchim v. The J.M. Smucker Company*, a class action case alleging that Smucker misled purchasers of 9Lives, Meow Mix, and Kibbles ‘n Bits pet food by marketing the class products as “100% complete and balanced” despite packaging that allegedly contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), often described as “forever chemicals.” In this case, Plaintiff’s economic theory centers on an overpayment model, namely that consumers allegedly paid a premium for products they believed were healthful because Smucker failed to disclose the presence of PFAS in the product packaging. Quantifying this type of economic harm requires a rigorous, court‑tested approach. To quantify the alleged overpayment (or “price premium”) attributable to the PFAS omission in the labeling of the class products, an AMS-affiliated survey expert helped Plaintiffs by conducting a conjoint analysis survey of purchasers of the Class Products to quantify the reduction in market value when the following disclosure is included: “The product packaging contains PFAS, which are linked to harmful health effects.” The *Jeruchim* certification reinforces a rising trend within class action matters: courts are increasingly comfortable certifying classes involving chemical‑exposure omissions where the harm is economic. As courts continue to accept price‑premium theories tied to nondisclosure of product risks, conjoint analysis continues to serve as a critical tool for quantifying overpayment. This trend extends beyond PFAS to: - Heavy metals - Additives - “Healthy,” “natural,” or other health or quality‑signaling representations - Packaging‑based risks that consumers cannot detect at the point of purchase In each of these cases, AMS survey experts can help plaintiffs translate undisclosed product risks into measurable economic harm through court‑tested conjoint analysis. To learn more about how AMS Litigation Support can help you with class action matters, or about our surveys for class action litigation, please contact testifying survey expert [Patty Yanes](mailto:patriciayanes@ams-inc.com).  [Class Action/Class Certification](https://blog.ams-litigation.com/tag/class-action) Share this: Previous Next ### SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG ### Categories - [Trademark (59)](https://blog.ams-litigation.com/tag/trademark) - [News (28)](https://blog.ams-litigation.com/tag/news) - [Conference (23)](https://blog.ams-litigation.com/tag/conference) - [Conjoint Analysis (20)](https://blog.ams-litigation.com/tag/conjoint-analysis) - [Deceptive Advertising (18)](https://blog.ams-litigation.com/tag/deceptive-advertising) - [False Advertising (18)](https://blog.ams-litigation.com/tag/false-advertising) - [Likelihood of Confusion (17)](https://blog.ams-litigation.com/tag/likelihood-of-confusion) ### Applied Marketing Science Founded in 1989 with roots in the MIT Sloan School of Management, Applied Marketing Science is a market research and consulting firm with an established practice focused on consumer surveys for litigation. ### Join Our Mailing List By submitting your information you agree to receive electronic communications from AMS. You may unsubscribe at any time. ### Recent Posts ### Contact Us Applied Marketing Science 78 Blanchard Road, Suite 203 Burlington MA 01803   Phone: [781.250.6300](callto://17812506300) Email: [litigation@ams-inc.com](mailto:litigation@ams-inc.com) [AMS Corporate Site](http://www.ams-inc.com) ©2023 Applied Marketing Science, Inc. | [Sitemap](https://ams-litigation.com/sitemap_index.xml) | [Terms of Use](https://ams-litigation.com/terms-of-use/) | [Privacy Policy](https://ams-litigation.com/privacy-policy) - - ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Juli Lin", "url" : "https://blog.ams-litigation.com/author/juli-lin" }, "dateModified" : "2026-03-05T15:22:34.189Z", "datePublished" : "2026-03-05T15:22:34.000Z", "headline" : "Court Certifies Class in PFAS Pet Food Labeling Case Against Smucker", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.ams-litigation.com/court-certifies-class-in-pfas-pet-food-labeling-case-against-smucker", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.ams-litigation.com/hubfs/Applied-Marketing-Science-Litigation-Survey-Experts-2.jpg" }, "name" : "Applied Marketing Science" } } ```