Ralphs Grocery to Pay Nearly $300,000 Judgment

Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach announced today that a Riverside County judge has ordered Ralphs Grocery Company and The Kroger Co.  to pay a civil judgment of nearly $300,000 involving the sales of frozen dairy products and inaccurate pricing. 

The judgment includes penalties of $102,000 for sales of underweight frozen dairy dessert items, and another $88,386 because of inaccurate unit pricing.   Since it’s nearly impossible to determine payment to individual consumers, the companies will also pay $50,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank to provide food and personal care items to various shelters and charity organizations. 

In 2009, after a consumer complaint, local and state weights and measures officials found the both Kroger and Ralphs brand of Frozen Dairy Dessert were being sold with less product that was listed on packaging.  Six different flavors of the product were ordered remove from shelves for being lighter that what was represented. 

In 2010, another investigation by state and local weights and measures found that Ralphs stores were posting inaccurate prices on various products throughout its stores.  The judgement mandates that Ralphs designate a Pricing Integrity Coordinator in each of its stores. That person will be charged with verifying the accuracy of information on shelf tags. 

The ruling covers all 30 Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores in Riverside County. 

Consumers who believe they have been overcharged by any company are encouraged to contact their local Weights and Measures office.  Contact information is available here.