Trader Joe's Sued Over "Low Acid" Coffee Allegedly Containing Half the Caffeine of Regular Coffee

Trader Joe's is facing two class action lawsuits over its Low Acid Dark French Roast Coffee, with plaintiffs alleging the product is neither truly low acid nor fully caffeinated — despite being sold at a premium price.

The most recent case was filed April 28 in New York federal court by plaintiff Kelly McIntosh. A separate class action was filed April 23 in the Central District of California by four consumers who bought the coffee in California, New York, and Illinois. Both complaints rely on lab testing that surfaced in an earlier 2025 lawsuit brought by competitor Puroast Coffee Company.

According to the complaints, testing showed Trader Joe's Low Acid Dark French Roast has an average pH of 5.44 — only marginally less acidic than regular coffee, which typically falls between 4.8 and 5.4. The lawsuits also allege the product contains less than half the caffeine of standard coffee, putting it closer to "half-caff" than a regular brew.

The problem, according to the complaints: nothing on the packaging tells you that. Fully caffeinated coffee isn't usually labeled as such, but decaf and half-caff products are. By selling a low-caffeine coffee under a "Low Acid" and "100% Arabica Whole Bean Coffee" label without disclosing the reduced caffeine content, the lawsuits allege Trader Joe's misled consumers who expected a normal cup.

Price is a big part of the case. McIntosh says she paid $18.99 for a 13-ounce bag of the Trader Joe's coffee, while a comparable 12-ounce bag of Amazon Fresh dark roast whole bean ran $6.99. Low-acid coffee typically commands a premium because people with acid reflux, IBS, gastritis, or ulcers often seek it out for health reasons. The lawsuits argue Trader Joe's charged that premium without actually delivering a low-acid product.

The complaints also point out that Trader Joe's has known about the caffeine and acidity issues since at least February 2025, when Puroast first raised them in its own federal lawsuit. The labels haven't changed.

Who's affected

The proposed classes would cover anyone in the U.S. who purchased Trader Joe's coffee labeled "Low Acid" and "100% Arabica Whole Bean Coffee." The product is still on shelves as of this writing.

This isn't Trader Joe's only recent legal headache. The grocer also recently agreed to a $7.4 million settlement over allegedly printing too much credit card information on customer receipts — eligible shoppers can still file a claim through June 9, 2026.

How to file

There's no settlement yet in the low-acid coffee cases — these are active lawsuits that just got filed. No payouts have been announced and no claim form exists.

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