Soren Bjorn, CEO of the California-based fruit company Driscoll's, has stepped down as the company faces a class-action lawsuit accusing it of deceptive marketing related to alleged pesticide and PFAS contamination in its strawberries. Brie Reiter Smith, the company's board vice chair and a great-granddaughter of a co-founder, assumes the CEO role immediately.
Bjorn, who had been CEO since 2023, will remain with Driscoll's to assist in the leadership transition. The company announced the change on Tuesday. Smith expressed her commitment to the company's mission, stating, "The team Soren has assembled is the best we’ve had, which is a real testament to his leadership and vision."
The lawsuit, filed by six consumers from New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois, alleges that laboratory tests found residues from 12 pesticides in Driscoll's strawberries. Eight of these were identified as PFAS, a group of persistent chemicals often referred to as "forever chemicals." The suit claims that the levels of some of these chemicals exceed limits permitted in the European Union and other countries.
These allegations follow a whistleblower complaint filed last month by David Harada, Driscoll's former manager of food safety and regulatory compliance for the U.S. and Canada. Harada claims he was wrongfully terminated after raising concerns about alleged violations of pesticide limits by some growers. Court documents reviewed by the California Post indicate Harada alleged he was instructed by executives to prioritize profits and create "plausible deniability" rather than address reported violations.
The consumer lawsuit also accuses Driscoll's of "greenwashing" by promoting an environmentally friendly image while allegedly failing to disclose the use of persistent chemicals. Plaintiffs claim they purchased the strawberries based on Driscoll's branding and packaging, including the slogan "Only the Finest Berries," and would not have bought them, or would have paid less, if they had been aware of the alleged PFAS-related compounds.
Driscoll's has denied the accusations. "We reject the allegations in this lawsuit and believe they are without merit," the company previously stated.
Smith, who has held various roles within the family-owned company, including overseeing quality leadership and serving on the board, will now lead the organization. "The berries we put on tables around the world are the same berries I feed my three young daughters every day," Smith said in a statement. "I am honored to continue the tradition of positively impacting lives by operating with trustworthiness, passion and humility."
Executive Chair Miles Reiter praised Bjorn's tenure, highlighting his "intelligence, strength of character and commitment" to the company's mission. The company has not officially linked Bjorn's departure to the ongoing legal challenges.