A cookware battle moves to the front burner

There’s a battle going on between between a small cookware company named Caraway and two large conglomerates that own popular cookware brands. In a lawsuit filed in February, Groupe SEB USA and Meyer allege that claims made by Caraway in its advertising are impugning their reputation and that of the industry as a whole. The companies say that Caraway continues to make misleading claims regarding nonstick cookware and PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, despite a ruling by the National Advertising Division (a non-profit that “self-polices” the ad industry) that said Caraway should stop using certain language in its advertising. 

In response to growing interest by state legislatures to enact bans on certain PFAS chemicals, Groupe SEB USA and Meyer formed the Cookware Sustainability Alliance, an advocacy group for the industry, which brought the challenges to Caraway’s advertisements. Celebrity chefs have weighed in on the PFAS issue, including Rachel Ray and David Chang (who have cookware lines affiliated with Meyer), and Marcus Samuelsson (who is a “chef partner” for All-Clad, which is owned by Groupe SEB), who filed letters in opposition to a proposed California ban on the chemicals. PFAS have come under scrutiny since they don’t break down in the environment and have been found in drinking water and even inside the bodies of most US residents. Certain PFAS have been linked to cancers and other health problems, especially among workers in factories making the products. 

The National Advertising Division said that Caraway could say its products were “nontoxic” and “PFAS-free”, but that it should not make claims about other nonstick cookware releasing toxins via “ordinary, manufacturer-recommended use”. The pending lawsuit alleges that Caraway continued to make those claims and did not take down the ads. Caraway’s CEO says the advertisements are no longer being circulated, and that a technical glitch was responsible for the representative examples at issue in the recent filing. The case is currently set to proceed for trial.