Go Macro Sells “Healthy” Snack Bars Packed With Added Sugar, Lawsuit Claims

Case Overview: A class action lawsuit alleges Go Macro snack bars are falsely marketed as beneficial to consumers' health, despite containing unhealthy amounts of added sugar that may increase the risk of chronic disease.

Consumers Affected: U.S. consumers who purchased Go Macro bars.

Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Popular organic protein and snack bar brand Go Macro misleads health-conscious consumers with wellness-focused marketing while packing its products with unhealthy amounts of added sugar, a new lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit accuses Go Macro of promoting its bars as beneficial to consumers’ health with phrases like “Live Long,” “Be Well,” and “Finally – a bar that’s both delicious and good for you!” despite sugar levels that may increase the risk of chronic disease.

Consumer Thought the Bars Were a Healthy Choice

Leah Testone, a California resident, filed the proposed class action lawsuit after buying Go Macro bars regularly over the past four years. Drawn in by the brand’s clean labels and health-forward messaging, she says in the lawsuit she believed she was making a nutritious choice.

Testone purchased a range of flavors from stores like Whole Foods, CVS, and Target, as well as from Amazon. She says she relied on the company’s promises that the bars were “good for you,” not knowing they contained sugar levels well above what health experts recommend.

Testone says she would not have bought the products—or would have paid less—if she had known how much added sugar they contained and the health risks associated with it. The bars often cost more than other brands, which the lawsuit says is due in part to Go Macro’s misleading marketing.

Bars Marketed As Healthy, Despite Sugar Content

Go Macro bars contain between 4 to 13 grams of added sugar per serving, according to the complaint—making up as much as 24% of the bar’s calories. That’s far higher than the FDA’s newly enforced cap of 2 grams of added sugar per serving for foods marketed as “healthy.”

Health experts and government guidelines generally recommend that added sugar make up no more than 5-10% of daily calorie intake. Consuming more, studies show, increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, liver damage, and other serious conditions. The lawsuit claims Go Macro failed to disclose these risks and exploited consumer confusion over how to interpret nutrition labels.

Go Macro Joins A Growing List Of Food Brands Under Fire

Go Macro isn’t alone in facing scrutiny for allegedly misleading health claims. A wave of lawsuits is targeting food companies accused of branding their products as healthy while hiding key facts. Cape Cod potato chips are under legal fire for marketing themselves as free from preservatives, despite containing citric acid. 

Poppi, a trendy soda brand known for gut health claims, recently agreed to an $8.9 million settlement after being accused of exaggerating its prebiotic benefits. Other granola bar brands are under heat, too. MadeGood granola bars are facing allegations of metal contamination, and Harris Teeter is being sued for labeling its fruit cereal bars as “natural” despite using synthetic additives.

In her lawsuit, Testone wants to represent anyone in the U.S. who bought Go Macro bars, and she wants to bar the company from using deceptive marketing. She is asking the court to order more transparent labeling and to return money to people who bought the bars under false impressions through injunctive relief and damages. She is also suing for fees, costs, and interest.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Testone v. Go Macro, LLC
• Case Number: 3:25-cv-01743-RSH-KSC   
• Court: U.S. District Court Southern District of California 

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

• Jack Fitzgerald, Melanie R. Monroe, Trevor Flynn, Peter Grazul, and Allison Ferraro (Fitzgerald Monroe Flynn PC)

Do you check the sugar levels of the snack bars you buy? Let us know in the comments below.