Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is facing a lawsuit filed by consumers who claim the company sold various rice products tainted with arsenic and other heavy metals.Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) Faces Lawsuit Over Claims it Sold Contaminated Rice

The proposed class action, filed in federal court in Seattle, targets 18 different rice varieties sold through Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), including well-known brands like Ben's Original and Whole Foods' 365, which is owned by the company.

The complaint stated the following:

"Amazon sold these rice products with alarmingly high levels of heavy metals to an intended consumer audience that includes children, with no warning whatsoever about the dangers of heavy metals."

The legal action follows a recent study by the nonprofit Healthy Babies, Bright Futures, which found traces of arsenic in all 145 rice samples tested across the US. According to the study, 28% of those samples exceeded the FDA’s arsenic limit for infant rice cereal. Cadmium was found in nearly all the samples, while lead and mercury appeared in more than one-third.

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has yet to issue a statement regarding the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs, Ashley Wright and Merriman Blum, claim they would have avoided purchasing Iberia Basmati 100% Aged Original rice—or paid less for it—had they known it contained harmful metals or had not been properly tested by Amazon.

The lawsuit seeks at least $5 million in damages, citing violations of consumer protection laws in Washington state. Similar lawsuits have previously targeted makers of baby food and dark chocolate for the presence of heavy metals.

The case is filed under Wright et al v Amazon.com Inc, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, No. 25-00977.

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