Welcome to blogs.sfweekly.com
Blogs
  • News
    • News Home
    • Daily News
    • National
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Savage Love
  • Music
    • Music Home
    • Top Picks
    • Submit an Event
    • Digital Jukebox
    • Clubs Directory
    • Entertainment Ads
  • Calendar
    • Calendar Home
    • Top Picks
    • Submit an Event
    • Entertainment Ads
  • Restaurants
    • Restaurants Home
    • Restaurant Guide
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • SFoodie
    • Sponsored Online Menus
    • Happy Hour
    • Restaurant Ads
    • Restaurant Coupons
  •  
  • Arts
  • Movies
    • Movies Home
    • Now Showing
    • Movie Showtimes
    • Movie Reviews
  • The Ads
    • Ad Index
    • Flip Book
    • Coupons
  • Classifieds
    • Free Classifieds
    • Personals
    • Personals Blogs
    • Virtual Job Fair
  • Blogs
    • Blogs Home
    • All Shook Down
    • The Snitch
    • SFoodie
  • Columns
    • Columns Home
    • Matt Smith
    • Sucka Free City
    • Letters
    • Savage Love
    • Advice Goddess
    • Free Will Astrology
  • Best Of
    • Best Of Home
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Bars & Clubs
    • Food & Drink
    • People & Places
    • Shopping & Services
    • Sports & Recreation
    • Best Of Ads
  • Bars/Clubs
    • Bars/Clubs Home
    • Marijuana Dispensaries
    • Bars/Clubs Ads
    • Bars / Clubs Coupons
  • Archives
    • Advanced Archive Search
    • Locations Map
    • Event Search
  • Reader Recommendations
  • Promotions
    • Events
    • Street Team
    • Join the Street Team
    • On Sale!
    • Free Stuff
    • Text Alerts
  • Site Map

Top

blog

Stories

  • Queer

    The Week In Gay

    By Patrick Connors

    1
  • Media

    Exposing Brugmann's Cell Phone Tower Scheme

    By Will Harper

    2
  • Quiz

    Take News Quiz, Win Prize!

    By Joe Eskenazi

    3
  • Health

    Dictionary Interpretation Determines S.F. Smokers' Fates

    By Ashley Harrell

    4
  • Law & Order

    Quelling Housing Development -- The S.F. Way

    By Matt Smith

    5
  • Politics

    Even Drug-Users Have a Union in San Francisco

    By Joe Eskenazi

    6
  • Marijuana in the News

    Sunset Merchants PO'ed By Proposed Pot Club

    By Lauren Smiley

    7
  • Public Transit

    Ruptured BART Part, Led To Accident, Only 14 Months Old

    By Joe Eskenazi

    8
  • Politics

    Meet Adman Behind Demon Sheep, Boxer Blimp Ads

    By Joe Eskenazi

    9
  • Breaking News

    Death Can't Keep S.F. Man Off Sex Offender Registry

    By Lauren Smiley

    10
  • Law & Order

    J'Accuse! Case Against Crunchberries Continues.

    By Joe Eskenazi

    11
  • Crime

    S.F. Man's Amazing Story Wins Over Jury

    By Peter Jamison

    12
  • Politics

    Gavin Newsom Lt. Gov Mad-Libs!

    By Joe Eskenazi

    13
  • Crime

    Lab Techs Steal Coke More Often Than You'd Think

    By Joe Eskenazi

    14
  • internets

    San Franciscans Document Sexual Conquests On Web Site

    By Kristi Eaton

    15
 
Law & Order

'Froot Loops' Lawyer Gratified By City Attorney's Stern Letter to Cocoa Krispies

By Joe Eskenazi, Thursday, Oct. 29 2009 @ 8:30AM
Categories: Law & Order
Froot-Loops.jpg
You lied to me, bird!
​
Last month we reported on Roy Werbel, the East Bay man who sued Froot Loops in San Francisco Federal court because he claims he was misled into purchasing the product for years in the belief it contained fruit.

Apparently we're in the midst of  toucan-hunting season both locally and nationally. Kellogg's has come under intense pressure for the ostentatious, green "Smart Choice" check it emblazons on Froot Loops and other sugar-laden cereals -- when only discerning consumers might realize that the whole "Smart Choice" program is an industry-generated farce. Then, on Tuesday, City Attorney Dennis Herrera shot off an angry letter to the Kellog's people accusing them of fearmongering and bad science in claiming Cocoa Krispies boost kids' immune systems.

This move brought joy to the heart of Jeff Kravitz, Werbel's lawyer in the Froot Loops case. He said he's considering appending the complaint to more fully document the aforementioned charges against Kellogg's, which he feels only buttress his claims that the company is engaged in "deception of the public."

"I'm quite surprised and happy a city attorney is taking up this issue," Kravitz said. "I'm glad to see people are looking up and saying that an essentially misleading product aimed at children is an area of concern to the public."

A Sacramento judge recently ruled that no competent human being could believe that Cap'n Crunch Crunchberries are really berries -- that case, in all seriousness, has been appealed to the 9th Circuit Court. But Kravitz is still optimistic about his almost identical case. "My opinion is the initial reason the company started calling these products things like 'Froot Loops' and 'Crunchberries' was to make people think the products had some sort of natural basis to them. That's why these lawsuits exist."

Kravitz seemed stung by the multitude of "Goddamn moneygrubbing lawyer" comments on our original story about Werbel's suit. He reminds the general public that this is a class action suit -- so, unless Werbel bought enough Froot Loops over the years to re-create the Saturday Night Live Colon Blow commercials, he's not getting rich out of this.

"It's not as if the person filing this claim is saying 'I should get tons of money.' It's about advertising and marketing practices of these companies which are deceptive," said the lawyer. "If the ocmpanies want to change how they're labeling and marketing, let them settle these cases."

Tags:

Cocoa Krispies, Froot Loops, Jeff Kravitz, Kellogg's, Roy Werbel
Write Comment
Share

Related Content

  • The Case Against Crunchberries Continues March 15, 2010
  • The Case Against Crunchberries Continues March 15, 2010
  • The Doggie Bag: Today's Odds and Ends June 5, 2009
  • What? The city's health care plan is illegal? How does that work? December 27, 2007
  • Oh, Snap: City Attorney Demands Proof of Cocoa Krispies' Immunity-Boosting Claim October 27, 2009

More About:

  • Roy Werbel
  • Jeff Kravitz
  • Kellogg's Froot Loops
  • Dennis Herrera
  • U.S. Court of Appeals

Write Comment


(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking "Post," you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.

Tools

Search The Snitch


Follow

Email tips to tips@sfweekly.com

SlideShows»

  • Laughing Squid "We'll See You Again Soon Party" @ Kal's Warehouse
  • Courtney Love and Hole at Spin's SXSW party
  • Anarchist Book Fair @ County Fair Building
  • More Slideshows >>

Most …

  • Baylinks: Schnapps, Hovercat, & Sexual Harrassment
  • Jury Acquits Road-Raging Motorist Who Stabbed Police Officer
  • Top-Five Reasons To Love San Francisco's Hall of Justice
  • S.F. Business Group Spurns Pelosi's Health Care Plea
  • The Week in Gay -- A Nation of Uppity Fags
  • More Recent Entries...
  • East Bay Congressman Jerry McNerney Still Waffling on Health Care Vote -- But Not For Reasons You'd Expect (7)
  • Can You Stay off the Cell Phone, Twitter, and Facebook for 24 Hours? (7)
  • S.F. Man Fails To Register As Sex Offender -- Because He's Dead (6)
  • Carly Fiorina's Latest Insane Attack Ad Leaves Us Counting 'Demon Sheep' (4)
  • Acura's PR People Befuddled By S.F. Bike Culture (4)
  • S.F. Jury Buys Story of Meth-Addled Serial Thief Who Says He Was Just Good Samaritan
  • Can You Stay off the Cell Phone, Twitter, and Facebook for 24 Hours?
  • Masturbate-A-Thon 2009 Champion Masanobu Sato Speaks
  • S.J. Pot Rush Over? City Shuts Down First Club, Albeit Briefly.
  • San Franciscans Joyously, Graphically Document Sex on New Web Site

Twitter Feed

Follow sfweekly on Twitter

More Twitter >>

VVM on Digg

  • 58
    diggs
    F^*k Google Analytics (Pic)
  • 65
    diggs
    Naked man dancing on billboard stops traffic in Dallas [SFW]
  • 1
    diggs
    Moron Juror Stole Credit Card During Credit Card Trial
  • 1
    diggs
    Really Hot toys battle-damaged Iron Man Mark III figure
  • 1
    diggs
    Topless Robot - Grand Theft Anime
  • 1
    diggs
    Topless Robot - The 9 Worst Types of Podcasters
  • 1
    diggs
    Topless Robot - 10 Horrible Paintings from Atari 2600 Game B
  • 1
    diggs
    Topless Robot - This Is What Happens When British Nerds Don'
  • 1
    diggs
    Topless Robot - In Cake No One Can Hear You Scream
  • 1
    diggs
    Topless Robot - Final Fantasy VII Finally Gets Re-Made... fo
  • 168
    diggs
    Online Threats Not Protected Speech
  • 320
    diggs
    Texas Oil Companies Fight CA Law to Combat Global Warming
  • 448
    diggs
    Wikipedia now on the menu at Chinese restaurants - WTF?
  • 329
    diggs
    (PICS) Burlesqueland: Disney-themed Burlesque Show
  • 236
    diggs
    21 Examples of Contemporary Billboard Art (PICS)
  • 349
    diggs
    Old Man Charged With Hate Crime for Grabbing Woman's Butt
  • 176
    diggs
    Firefighter Can't Extinguish Flame of Passion - In His Pants
  • 408
    diggs
    Sign This is Going to Be a Long Day (Pic)
  • 250
    diggs
    Malnourished Easter Bunnies Seized
  • 407
    diggs
    Man arrested for peeing on 7 Hispanic girls
  • 8776
    diggs
    Legalization of Marijuana Bill in California
  • 5801
    diggs
    Guess Who is Facing 21 Years in Prison?
  • 5051
    diggs
    Guys Dates Several Prostitutes. No Sex. Just Regular Dates.
  • 4605
    diggs
    Get Up, Stand Up: Ammiano Introduces Marijuana Legalization
  • 3753
    diggs
    Denver Airports Controversial 32 FT Zombie Mustang Sculpture
  • 3747
    diggs
    Guy Dumps His Cheating Girlfriend Live on Radio (Audio)
  • 2720
    diggs
    Meet Scientology's Worst Enemy
  • 2695
    diggs
    Decision Tree: Should I Buy an iPad? (PIC)
  • 2631
    diggs
    The best (PIC) of Colin Powell you'll see today.
  • 2589
    diggs
    Police Get The Wrong House In Galveston, Assault 12-Year old

Links

Linkage

  • Hype Machine
  • Creep Machine -An Art Blog
  • Alameda Daily News
  • Alameda Musings
  • Anil Dash
  • Athletics Nation
  • Bagel Radio
  • Barbarian Blog
  • Beast Blog
  • Beetle Beat
  • Berkeley Bubble
  • Blogging Bayport Alameda
  • Chowhound
  • Curbed SF
  • Current Blog
  • Daily Kos
  • Dellums Watch
  • East Bay SPCA Shelterlife Blog
  • Fecal Face
  • Good Morning Silicon Valley
  • Grand Lake Guardian
  • Grasping Reality With Both Hands
  • Halfway to Concord
  • Laughing Squid
  • Live365
  • New West Notes
  • NovoMetro
  • Oakland Focus
  • Oaktown News
  • Pandora
  • Peninsula Press Club
  • Political Blotter
  • Radio Paradise
  • San Francisco Cityscape
  • San Leandro Bytes
  • SFGate Culture Blog
  • SFist
  • Silicon Valley Watcher
  • Silicon Valley Wire
  • Slashdot
  • Spot-On
  • Stretcher
  • TechCrunch
  • Techdirt
  • The Daily Dirt
  • The Hayword
  • The Heuristic Squelch
  • TourFilter.com
  • ValleyWag
  • VentureBeat

Newspapers: Daily

  • Alameda Times-Star
  • Argus (Fremont)
  • Contra Costa Times
  • Daily Review (Hayward)
  • East Bay Daily News
  • East County Times
  • Los Angeles Times
  • Oakland Tribune
  • San Francisco Chronicle
  • San Francisco Daily Journal
  • San Francisco Examiner
  • San Jose Mercury News
  • San Mateo Daily Journal
  • San Ramon Valley Times
  • The Daily Californian
  • The New York Times
  • The Sacramento Bee
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • The Washington Post
  • Tri-Valley Herald
  • Valley Times
  • West County Times

Newspapers: Other

  • Alameda Journal
  • Chloe Veltman
  • Asian Week
  • Bay Area Reporter
  • Berkeley Daily Planet
  • Berkeley Voice
  • Concord Transcript
  • Contra Costa Sun
  • Danville Times
  • Danville Weekly
  • East Bay Business Times
  • El Bohemio
  • El Latino
  • El Observador
  • El Tecolote
  • Livermore Independent
  • Metro (Silicon Valley)
  • Montclarion
  • Nichi Bei Times
  • NikkeiWest
  • Oakland Globe
  • Oakland Post
  • Piedmonter
  • Pleasant Hill/Martinez Record
  • Pleasanton Times
  • Richmond Globe
  • Rossmoor News
  • San Francisco Bay Guardian
  • San Francisco Business Times
  • SF Weekly
  • Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal
  • Singtao Daily
  • The Irish Herald
  • The Journal (Albany, El Cerrito, Kensington)
  • The San Leandro Times
  • Valley Sentinel
  • Vietnam Daily News
  • Walnut Creek Journal

Other Local Publications

  • 7x7
  • Alameda Magazine
  • Bay Area Parent
  • Bay City News
  • BeyondChron
  • Bitch
  • Cafe Magazine
  • Cal Law
  • Chloe Veltman
  • California Lawyer
  • California Magazine
  • Catholic San Francisco
  • CNet News.com
  • Colorlines
  • Common Ground
  • Diablo
  • Dwell
  • East Bay Monthly
  • El Cerrito Wire
  • Environmental News Network
  • Hi Fructose
  • Hyphen
  • India Currents
  • India West
  • Indybay
  • IndyMedia
  • J the Jewish Newsweekly
  • JPG
  • Kitchen Sink
  • Lip Magazine
  • McSweeney's Internet Tendency
  • Mother Jones
  • New American Media
  • News From Native California
  • North Gate News Online
  • Oakland Magazine
  • Philippine News
  • ReadyMade
  • Red Herring
  • Salon
  • San Francisco Magazine
  • SF Gate
  • SF Station
  • Silicon Valley Daily
  • Sunset
  • The Believer
  • The Wave Magazine
  • Tikkun
  • Tri-City Voice
  • Tri-Valley Magazine
  • Wholphin DVD Magazine
  • Wired
  • Wired News

Web Sites: Politics

  • Cal Berkeley Democrats
  • California Conservative
  • California Progress Report
  • California Secretary of State
  • California Voter Foundation
  • Calitics
  • Flash Report
  • League of Women Voters
  • Political Muscle
  • Rough & Tumble
  • The California Majority Report

Radio

  • 89.3 KOHL
  • KALW 91.7 FM
  • KALX 90.7
  • KCBS 740 AM
  • KCEA 89.1
  • KCSM 91.1 FM
  • KDON 102.5
  • KDYA 1190 The Light
  • KFAT Online
  • KFAX 1100 AM
  • KFJC 89.7
  • KFRC 610 AM
  • KGO 810 AM
  • KKUP 91.5 FM
  • KLIV 1590 AM
  • KMEL 106.1
  • KNBR 680/1050 AM
  • KNDL 89.9
  • KPFA 94.1 FM
  • KPIG 1510 AM
  • KPOO-FM 89.5
  • KQED 88.5 FM
  • KRCB 91.1 FM
  • KSCU 103.3
  • KSFO 560 AM
  • KSJS 90.5
  • KSMC 89.5
  • KSUN 91.5
  • KUSF 90.3 FM
  • KVCH 104.1
  • KZSU 90.1 FM
  • Live 105
  • The Bone 107.7 FM
  • WILD 94.9
  • Youth Radio

Television

  • BETV
  • CBS 5 KPIX
  • CCTV
  • Current
  • KFTL
  • KGO 7 ABC
  • KICU 36
  • KQED PBS 9
  • KRON 4
  • KTEH 54
  • KTSF 26
  • KTVU Fox 2
  • NBC-11 KNTV
  • PCTV 26/28
  • The CW Bay Area
  • TV 30
  • TV 50 KFTY
  • Your TV20
About Us | Work for SF Weekly | Esubscribe | Free Classifieds | Advertising | Privacy Policy | Problem With the Site? | RSS | Site Map
©2010 SF Weekly, LP. All rights reserved.