Held Files Complaint Against JFC International Re: Arsenic in Seaweed

Anthony Held, Ph.D, P.E., a client of The Chanler Group, has filed a lawsuit against JFC International, Inc. (JFC) for violations of Proposition 65: namely, failing to inform California consumers that their dried seaweed contains arsenic, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer.

JFC is a major wholesaler and distributor of Asian food products and is a subsidiary of Kikkoman.

Held seeks injunctive relief against JFC in the form of civil penalties, appropriate warnings, and reimbursement of attorneys’ fees.

The Chanler Group represents citizen enforcers who, acting in the public interest, commence actions against businesses offering products for sale in California that contain chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm without first providing the health hazard warning required by Proposition 65. Citizen enforcers bringing Proposition 65 actions in the public interest may obtain a Court Judgment imposing civil penalties, an injunction requiring reformulation of products, and/or provision of health hazard warnings. The Chanler Group has represented citizen enforcers of Proposition 65 for more than twenty years.