A decade-long spat over a high-end bakery’s use of artificial ingredients in “all-natural” bread has ended with the Supreme Court awarding NT$3.42 million (US$111,473) in compensation to dissatisified customers.
The Consumers’ Foundation in a statement on Thursday said that Top Pot Bakery lost its appeal against a lower court ruling ordering it to pay 864 customers purchase-based compensation plus damages of NT$1,000 each.
The case began in August 2013 when a baker at Top Pot Bakery — which claimed its products were free of artificial ingredients — confessed to a Hong Kong blogger that the chain did indeed use such additives.
Photo: Chang Chuan-chia, Taipei Times
The bakery chain, which was established in late 2010, offered refunds or replacements following the revelation, but many customers were unwilling to accept the offer.
The Consumers’ Foundation in April 2014 filed a lawsuit with the Taipei District Court against former Top Pot Bakery chairman Chuang Hung-ming (莊鴻銘), then-chairman Hsu Hsun-ping (徐洵平) and entertainer Little S (小S, also known as Dee Hsu, 徐熙娣), asking for NT$25.6 million in compensation on behalf of 1,060 customers.
The consumer watchdog initially asked for the repayment of the original funds spent, plus three times that amount in punitive penalties and an additional NT$20,000 per person in psychological damage.
The Consumers’ Foundation said it listed Little S as a defendant because she had used her celebrity status to promote Top Pot’s products and should be held responsible for misleading the public.
The Taipei District Court in 2020 ruled that the firm, Chuang and Hsu Hsun-ping should jointly compensate 897 customers a total of NT$5.382 million.
However, the district court ruled that Little S was not liable for Top Pot’s false claims, as she had only said that the bakery’s products were “delicious” at a promotional event.
After an appeal, the High Court modified the lower court’s decision last year and ordered the company, Chuang and Hsu Hsun-ping to pay NT$3.42 million in compensation to 864 customers.
The High Court said the ruling, upheld by the Supreme Court, was made with consideration that Top Pot had already paid more than NT$100 million in out-of-court settlements.
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