A Charlston, S.C., attorney has filed a suit against Oscar Mayer and Hormel Corp., claiming that the companies' labeling claims of having 95%, 97% or 98% fat-free lunch meats are false.

"Often times it's ten times as fat as they claim them to be. That's why we filed the lawsuit," said Aaron Mayer.

Mayer says he filed a class-action lawsuit against the two companies in the U.S. District Court Tampa Florida division. He says the front labels are misleading, reports WCSC News. For example, an Oscar Mayer deli meat claiming it is 98% fat free with 50 calories per serving.

"If you turn the product over and look at the calories from fat, it says of those 50 calories, ten calories come from fat. You divide ten by 50 or double 50 and get 100 and figure out 20 calories from fat, and you see it's 20% fat," Mayer said.

Mayer says he wants customers to be compensated if they bought the lunch meat because they thought it was low fat. He also wants both companies to change their labels.

A spokesman for Kraft Foods, the parent company of Oscar Mayer, said the labels provide consumers with helpful information including calories from fat.

"This lawsuit is unfounded. We stand behind the statements on our labels, which are true and clear. What's more, these labels are regulated and approved by the USDA prior to use," Sydney Lindner said.

Source: WCSC News