Coca-Cola Sued Over VitaminWater's Deceptive Health Claims

Posted on Jan 17th 2009 4:00PM by Bev Sklar

Stirring vitamins into a chocolate bar does not make it healthy. It's still loaded with fat and calories. Same goes for sugary water beverages with added vitamins and minerals. I'd rather pop a multivitamin at breakfast and fulfill my goal to down 64 ounces of water daily, than drink double-digit grams of sugar.

Do consumers actually believe the advertising fluff that sugary vitamin drinks are a healthy choice? Californian James Koh alleges he did. He purchased Coca-Cola's VitaminWater regularly, thinking it was a healthy alternative. Now the Center for Science in the Public Interest has filed a lawsuit on his behalf. Koh is suing Coca-Cola for deceptive and fraudulent health claims of VitaminWater, which contains about 33 grams of sugar per 20 ounce bottle. The lawsuit alleges diets high in added sugar contribute to obesity, diabetes, and other ailments. Here's a copy for you legal fans.

I've downed a rare VitaminWater during this sugary beverage trend, but I'm aware it's packed with sugar and I'm thinking liquid treat, not healthy hydration. What's your take?

Do you think sugary, vitamin beverages are healthy hydration or more of a treat?
Treat	94 (71.8%)
Healthy hydration	11 (8.4%)
Both	26 (19.8%)

Source

6 Comment

Tags: Bev-Sklar, Coca-Cola-VitaminWater-lawsuit, James-Koh, VitaminWater

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Christina 1-17-2009 @ 5:13PM

People need to take responsibility for their actions. The labels are right there. If the man filing the lawsuit didn't read the label, well, that's his fault.

Serving size as well as ingredients are made perfectly clear.

dirt 1-17-2009 @ 5:19PM

The name "Vitamin Water" to me implies that it's just vitamins and water. I admit, that's a naive assumption on my part, and yet, I feel like that name is targeted toward people who want a healthy choice, so it is somewhat deceptive.

Lindsey 1-18-2009 @ 9:58PM

Come on! Where does personal responsibility come in to play? This is the twinkie defense! It was wrong of the Coke company to claim this beverage was "healthy" but what ever happened to conscious consuming?

Judy 1-21-2009 @ 8:17PM

I'm all about personal responsibility and reading labels, but at the same time I might have been fooled by this one. (I've never tried it - I drink tap water, mostly, and don't like the whole "add vitamins to everything" craze.) Vitamin Water sounds like water with vitamins, maybe some flavor. I would not have thought it had tons of sugar and calories, although I probably would have read the label.

I've read reports on how few people really understand food labels already, and with dubious claims on it it gets even worse.

GroundZero 1-24-2009 @ 12:58PM

We are humans, but we have left the trees long time ago.Each person is responsible by their consummation choices!Anyone has point a gun to his head and told him to do this...

i think that this is a consummer that had no satisfation, because he had exagerated the quantity of consumation.
The law sue is just to call attention...

http://www.trusted.2fortune.com

Julie Webster 2-20-2009 @ 7:22PM

Unfortunately I believe we all are looking for the best choice in products unfortunately decption is frequently present. Really the best, healthiest, and cheapest way is to use the 'real thing' like water verses a packaged drink. Eating and drinking items in their most natural, unprocessed state will always prevail when it comes to health!

www.julie-webster.com