A federal court in New York on Friday approved a nationwide settlement in a multi-year legal battle over how Coca-Cola’s Vitaminwater line of drinks was marketed and advertised, the Center for Science in the Public Interest announced.
The center and two law firms sued Coca-Cola in 2009 to stop the company from claiming the drinks had a variety of health benefits including reducing the risk of eye disease, promoted healthy joints and induced relaxation — even though the drinks contain about 32 grams of sugar.
The class-action lawsuit said product labels mislead consumers with statements such as “vitamins + water = what’s in your hand,” “vitamins + water = all you need,” and “this combination of zinc and fortifying vitamins can … keep you healthy as a horse.”
Coca-Cola agreed to stop using the statements and will add the words “with sweeteners” on two places of each label.
The settlement was approved by Magistrate Judge Robert Levy of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
CSPI has campaigned to reduce the prevalence of added sugars in the American diet.
