For related articles and more information, please visit OCA’s Genetic Engineering page and our Millions Against Monsanto page.

No offense to real sharks, but lawyers these days can be awfully voracious predators.

To wit: A class-action lawsuit is now making its way through the California courts alleging that ConAgra is responsible for “deceptively marketing” its Wesson-brand cooking oil as a “natural” product.

Really?

Yes, really. A lawsuit filed in California against ConAgra Inc. alleges that the food processing firm is deceiving consumers by promoting Wesson Oil as a natural food product-despite the fact that there are no regulations to which the plaintiffs can point as proof of illegality.

The lead litigator in the case, Andrei Rado, is a partner at Milberg LLP, a New York City-based law firm that styles itself as a pioneer in prosecuting class-action suits. On its website, Rado notes that his practice focuses on “consumer class actions” for “clients injured by corporate wrongdoing.”

(Along with a raft of suits involving alleged securities frauds, Milberg is also pursuing a lawsuit against Nike, Reebok, Adidas and New Balance, et al, for promoting their trendy new “barefoot” running shoes, since the companies’ claims that their shoes are a “healthy alternative” to traditional footwear “may not be accurate.”)