Coke sued over VitaminWater health claims

New York, January 16: The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has accused Coca Cola Co of falsifying health benefits of its 'Glacéau VitaminWater' range of beverages.

On Wednesday, the U.S. consumer group filed a class action lawsuit against the company in the Northern District of California's district court stating that the manufacturer is making several misleading claims for the product, which the U.S Food and Drug Administration does not allow.

Days earlier to this turmoil, U.S health authorities had issued a warning to the Coca Cola Co regarding its marketing strategies for unusual products it makes.

The CSPI commented: "Coke markets Vitaminwater as a healthful alternative to soda by labeling its several flavors with such health buzz words as 'defense,' 'rescue,' 'energy' and 'endurance'."

"We had been looking at Vitaminwater for a number of months. Our concern is flavored sugar water shouldn't be marketed as a health drink," said CSPI litigation director, Steve Gardner.

The consumer group mentioned that the company even claims that its new brand "reduces chronic disease and eye disease risk, promote healthy joints and support immune function."

"The 33 grams of sugar in each bottle of Vitaminwater do more to promote obesity, diabetes and other health problems than the vitamins in the drinks do to perform the advertised benefits listed on the bottles," commented CSPI.

But Coke has dismissed the argument terming the lawsuit as "ridiculous."

Diana Garza Ciarlante from Coke charged the CSPI of attracting reader for its newsletters to build-up a huge readership base by following such means. "Glacéau Vitaminwater is clearly and properly labeled and shows the amount of vitamins and calories in the product," said Ciarlante.

Competitor PepsiCo Inc had been marketing non-carbonated drinks for long and Coke bought Vitaminwater in 2007 for $4.1 billion to keep pace with its rival.

Both the soft-drink manufacturers selling Coke and Pepsi have "functional beverages" in their product list claiming to have vitamins, nutrients or stimulants including caffeine and guarana. The price of their shares saw a slight fall after the lawsuit news came in.

The FDA had earlier warned Coke following its marketing practices when the company advertised Diet Coke Plus as containing a variety of vitamins and minerals. FDA explained that marketing of soda and snacks as healthy is completely against the U.S. policy.