Walmart Is Being Sued for Allegedly Deceiving Shoppers
Walmart Is Being Sued for Allegedly Deceiving Shoppers
Kennedy DierksFri, October 23, 2026 at 6:00 PM UTC
0
Credit: Allrecipes / Walmart
Four years ago, the term “shrinkflation” entered the dictionary, and it’s still as relevant today as it was then. Whether it’s higher prices for less food at the drive-thru or smaller portions on grocery store shelves, customers continue to be frustrated with the lack of bang they’re getting for their buck, especially at chains noted for being budget-friendly, including Costco and Walmart. Now, the latter is under legal scrutiny for shrinkflation after a shopper filed a lawsuit accusing Walmart of deceiving customers with one product in particular.
The proposed class action suit, which was filed on Oct. 8, 2026 in Cook County, Illinois, alleges that Walmart is deceiving customers and violating state consumer laws with Great Value’s product packaging. The lawsuit states that Walmart falsely labeled the weight on its packaging for frozen shrimp, and argues that customers are paying for ice rather than seafood.
New Proposed Lawsuit Claims Walmart’s Great Value Shrimp Packaging Is Misleading Customers
Credit: Allrecipes / Walmart
According to the lawsuit, which was filed by Elijah Baptist, Walmart’s Great Value frozen shrimp products contain less shrimp than what is advertised on their packaging. Baptist claims that, over the past three years, he has purchased several bags of Walmart’s Great Value shrimp and relied on the packaging labels, which indicated a certain weight of shrimp. Baptist, though, eventually noticed that bags were underweight, with some containing up to 11 percent less shrimp than the labels advertised, per the suit.
Rather than the promised amount of seafood, Baptist argues that customers are being deceived by Walmart and paying for the weight of ice in the frozen bags—not the full advertised weight of the shrimp. While the Great Value shrimp products are coated with an ice glaze to help protect them from freezer burn (which is a common practice in the seafood industry), the weight of the extra water cannot be included in the net weight of the product, per U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. Baptist claims Walmart’s Great Value shrimp products fail to meet the FDA’s standard, as the shrimp weigh less once thawed and drained than what is stated on the packaging.
Advertisement
According to Baptist v. Walmart, Inc. (case number 2026CH09745), Walmart’s incorrect labeling on Great Value shrimp products and failure to provide the promised amount is unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent, plus it breaches express and implied product warranties.
The lawsuit is still in the very early stages, and there is currently no explicit monetary recovery. Baptist’s class action lawsuit intends to represent all Illinois consumers who bought Walmart’s Great Value shrimp products. That said, a specific financial figure for damages has not been determined or awarded, the exact class of the suit has not yet been certified, and Walmart has yet to be found definitively liable. For now, the plaintiff is broadly asking the court for damages (including a to-be-determined monetary value), restitution, and injunctive relief, or an official legal order for Walmart to stop the alleged practice of mislabeling Great Value frozen shrimp.
Since it was only recently filed as a complaint in Illinois court, it will likely take time to reach a verdict. For now, though, we know that under Illinois civil procedure, Walmart has 30 calendar days following summons to submit a formal response, or 60 days if Walmart’s legal department formalizes a waiver of service agreement with the plaintiff’s attorneys.
on Allrecipes
Source: “AOL Money”
