Duncan Hines Keto Friendly "0g added sugar" allulose lawsuit (Sanderson v. Conagra)

A Brooklyn shopper has filed a proposed class action against Conagra Brands, Inc. over Duncan Hines Keto Friendly baking mixes labeled "0g ADDED SUGAR PER SERVING." The case is Sanderson v. Conagra Brands, Inc., No. 1:26-cv-11420, filed September 17, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago.

The mixes are sweetened partly with allulose, a low-calorie sweetener. The complaint says allulose is a sugar under federal rules, so a mix that has it added during production cannot claim zero added sugar.

The lawsuit covers the Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix, Classic Yellow Cake Mix and Blueberry Muffin Mix. It proposes a nationwide class and 31 state and District of Columbia subclasses. No court has ruled, no class has been certified and there is no settlement or claim form.

Conagra Brands, Inc. is a packaged food company. The complaint describes it as a Delaware corporation with its headquarters in Chicago. It says Conagra makes, labels, markets and sells the Duncan Hines Keto Friendly mixes in stores and online, including through Amazon and Walmart.com listings. Duncan Hines is a long-running brand of cake, brownie and muffin mixes.

The plaintiff, Ines Sanderson, lives in Brooklyn, New York. According to the complaint, she bought the Keto Friendly Classic Yellow Cake Mix on Amazon on April 19, 2025, and again on August 17, 2026, paying $5.92 each time. She says she relied on the "0g ADDED SUGAR" claim and paid a price premium because of it.

She is represented by Bursor & Fisher, P.A., including Philip L. Fraietta, Caroline C. Donovan, L. Timothy Fisher and Joshua B. Glatt, along with the Gucovschi Law Firm. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeremy C. Daniel, with U.S. Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim.

Duncan Hines launched its Keto Friendly baking mixes in 2021. Its website says each mix has "0g added sugar (not a low-calorie food)," 4 grams of net carbs or less per serving and no gluten. The site's FAQ calls allulose "a keto-friendly, calorie-free sugar alcohol" used "in place of regular sugar."

The brand subtracts allulose when it calculates net carbs. For the yellow cake mix, its product page lists 21 grams of total carbohydrates, minus 5 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar alcohol and 4 grams of allulose, for 4 grams of net carbs. The complaint says Conagra's own net carb math shows 4 to 5 grams of allulose per serving across the three mixes.

According to the complaint, Conagra changed the front label at some point in 2026, but online listings still make the zero added sugar claim. The complaint does not say what the new label says.

The plaintiff says allulose is a monosaccharide, the simplest form of sugar. Federal rules define sugars as all free monosaccharides and disaccharides. Under 21 C.F.R. 101.60(c)(2)(i), a "no added sugar" type claim is allowed only if no sugar or sugar-containing ingredient is added during processing. She says allulose is added during processing, so the claim breaks federal rules and New York's food labeling law.

The complaint points to the FDA's 2016 rulemaking, which said allulose must be counted as a sugar until the agency decided otherwise in a future rule. The FDA later said it would not enforce the inclusion of allulose in the sugar lines of Nutrition Facts labels. In a separate appeal, the FDA told the Seventh Circuit that this policy did not change the definition of sugar or cover claims such as "zero sugar."

That appeal, Franco v. Chobani, was decided on July 27, 2026. The Seventh Circuit held that allulose counts as a sugar under the federal definition. Its rulings bind federal courts in Illinois, where this case was filed, although the complaint does not cite Franco.

The complaint lists 34 counts: New York General Business Law sections 349 and 350, consumer protection laws in 29 other states and the District of Columbia, intentional misrepresentation for the nationwide class and unjust enrichment. Its introduction also mentions breach of express warranty, but no numbered warranty count appears.

Conagra has not filed a position in court. Class Action Pulse found no public statement from Conagra about the lawsuit as of October 20, 2026. Its brand website describes allulose as a sugar alcohol, which is product information, not a response to the case.

The docket shows the case assigned to Judge Daniel on September 18, 2026, with a routine notice about consenting to a magistrate judge. No response from Conagra appears in the docket entries available on October 20, 2026.

The court has not decided whether allulose is "added sugar," whether federal law preempts the claims or whether a class should be certified.

The proposed nationwide class covers everyone in the United States who bought the mixes for personal use during the longest period the law allows. Each subclass covers personal-use buyers in one jurisdiction.

The groups exclude Conagra and its officers and directors, the assigned judge and magistrate judge and their staff and family, and both sides' lawyers. Buyers of other Duncan Hines mixes are outside the case.

There is no claim form and no deadline. Buyers can:

• Check Amazon, Walmart or grocery loyalty histories for the three Keto Friendly mixes.
• Keep any box, or photograph the front panel and Nutrition Facts.
• Watch for Conagra's response and any ruling on a motion to dismiss.
• Contact Bursor & Fisher or their own lawyer with questions.

No money is available now. The complaint asks for a declaration that Conagra broke the cited laws, damages, interest and restitution. It also asks for an order stopping the zero added sugar claim and requiring corrective disclosures, plus attorneys' fees. These are requests, not awards.

• 2016: The FDA says allulose counts as a sugar pending future rulemaking.
• April 19, 2025: The plaintiff's first purchase.
• 2026: The complaint says Conagra changes the front label.
• July 27, 2026: Franco v. Chobani is decided.
• September 17, 2026: The complaint is filed.
• September 18, 2026: The case is assigned to Judge Daniel.

No opt-out, objection or claim deadlines exist. If a class is certified or a settlement is reached, a notice would explain members' rights.

• Allulose: A rare sugar with about 70 percent of the sweetness of table sugar and few calories.
• Monosaccharide: A single-unit sugar, such as glucose or fructose.
• Added sugar claim: A label statement about sugar added during processing, such as "no added sugar."
• Net carbs: A figure Duncan Hines calculates by subtracting fiber, sugar alcohols and allulose from total carbohydrates.
• Preemption: A defense that federal law blocks state law claims.
• Intentional misrepresentation: A claim that a company knowingly made a false statement that buyers relied on.

Conagra must answer or move to dismiss. In Franco, the trial court had dismissed the case as preempted by federal law before the Seventh Circuit reversed. Because Franco binds this court, the question of whether allulose is a sugar may be largely settled here. Franco involved a "zero sugar" claim, so how it applies to an "added sugar" claim under a different rule is still for the court to decide.

Class Action Pulse also tracks allulose cases against Dunkin' and Costco.

This article relies on the complaint, the court docket, the Duncan Hines Keto Friendly FAQ and yellow cake mix page, the Seventh Circuit's Franco v. Chobani opinion and the FDA's amicus brief in that case.

The price premium and labeling violations are allegations. Allulose amounts for the brownie mix differ between the complaint and the brand FAQ, so this article gives the range. The complaint does not describe the revised label. Sales and buyer counts are unknown.

Class Action Pulse is not a law firm or settlement administrator and does not guarantee eligibility or payment. This article is general information, not legal advice.