Last week, we reported a class action lawsuit had been filed against Before BrandsTM — the makers of SpoonfulONETM — in US District Court for Northern California on October 27, 2022. SpoonfulONE is a product line of nutraceuticals intended to introduce common allergens to babies to help ward off the development of food allergies later in life.
The lawsuit alleges that:
SpoonfulONE’s representations are not only false, deceptive, and misleading, but extraordinarily dangerous, giving parents a false sense of security that their children are obtaining enough allergenic proteins to promote oral tolerance to food allergens.
It goes on to assert that:
- “SpoonfulONE Products do not contain the 30mg of allergenic peanut, milk, and egg protein as advertised.”
- “…even if they did, according to peer-reviewed studies, 30mg is an insufficient amount to introduce or promote oral tolerance of food allergens, as represented by SpoonfulONE.”
In a message on the SpoonfulONE website, Before Brands has announced they are suspending sales of SpoonfulONE in the US indefinitely:
To our valued customers & partners:
We want to thank you for your support of SpoonfulONE over the years. We are proud to have had even a small part in your journey with early allergen feeding and solid food introduction.
At this time, SpoonfulONE will be pausing U.S. sales of our products as demand for SpoonfulONE is higher in international markets. Our partner for sales outside the US, Nestlé Health Science, will continue to focus on growing and expanding internationally.
Our product will remain on-shelf in Target, Walgreens, H-E-B, Wegmans, and other grocery stores around the U.S. until it sells through.
SpoonfulONE’s products do not have any safety or quality concerns. We stand firmly behind the science and data that showcases the integrity of our products for babies and toddlers. You can continue to safely feed your baby any SpoonfulONE products you have at home.
Since SpoonfulONE was founded, we are proud to have:
- Reached thousands of families with our four product formats for all infants and toddlers;
- Grown our retail presence to more than 7,000 stores;
- Shifted both parent and pediatrician understanding of common food allergens;
- And ultimately led the category with nearly 4 million servings of SpoonfulONE fed in the United States.
We believe in the science of SpoonfulONE, now more than ever. That mission has not changed. Our goal is to still contribute to the reduction of food allergies around the world.
For more information:
- Review general information and other Q&As on infant food allergen introduction, written and reviewed by pediatricians and other credentialed medical professionals, here.
- We transparently publish information on our testing protocols and protein integrity here. You can also learn more about our research here.
Thank you again for your support of SpoonfulONE.
Based on the circumstances, we believe it is unlikely SpoonfulONE will return to the US market before the lawsuit is settled.
