PepsiCo Inc. has been accused in a lawsuit of misleading shoppers into believing its Naked juices and smoothies primarily contain “high-value” ingredients such as kale, when the main ingredient is often cheaper, less nutritious apple juice.
According to a complaint filed on Tuesday in the Brooklyn, New York federal court, PepsiCo emblazons healthy fruits and vegetables on Naked labels, and touts how the drinks have “no sugar added,” when they actually contain roughly as much sugar as a can of Pepsi.
In a statement, PepsiCo called the lawsuit “baseless,” and said there was nothing misleading about its Naked products.
The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group, on behalf of three shoppers.
READ MORE: Are Kind bars ‘healthy’? Here’s why the FDA is rethinking what makes a healthy snack
Dina Lipkind of Brooklyn, Lyle Takeshita of Los Angeles and Chad Fenwick of Chatsworth, California claim they overpaid for Naked drinks such as Kale Blazer and Green Machine.
The label for Kale Blazer, for example, promises a “royal roundtable of yum” from its blend of kale with “cucumber, spinach, celery and a pinch of ginger, the complaint said.
But according to the label, kale puree is only the second listed ingredient, between orange juice and apple juice, and a 15.2 ounce serving contains 34 grams of sugar.
Other Naked drinks contain as much as 61 grams of sugar, the complaint said. In contrast, a 12-ounce Pepsi contains 41 grams.
PepsiCo “deliberately cultivates” consumer misperceptions through its marketing of Naked drinks, the complaint said.
- Gas prices in Ontario, Quebec to jump to highest level in 2 years: analyst
- Canada’s income gap is growing. Will Budget 2024 help affordability?
- Shoppers faces proposed class action over claims company is ‘abusive’ to pharmacists
- What’s going on with the Cybertruck? Tesla seems to have halted deliveries
READ MORE: How much sugar should you be eating? How to follow WHO’s guidelines
The lawsuit seeks class-action status on behalf of shoppers nationwide and in New York and California. It also seeks unspecified damages.
PepsiCo, in its statement, said every Naked bottle identifies the fruits and vegetables it contains, and the sugar content is “clearly reflected” on the label.
In 2013, the Purchase, New York-based company agreed to stop calling Naked juices “all natural” as part of a $9 million settlement.
The case is Lipkind et al v. PepsiCo Inc, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 16-05506.
Comments