CSPI gets go-ahead for class action against Vitaminwater

A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit concerning misleading health claims made by vitaminwater can proceed as a class action. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) originally filed suit against parent company Coca-Cola in January 2009. According to CSPI:

The company makes a wide range of dramatic claims, including that its drinks variously reduce the risk of chronic disease, reduce the risk of eye disease, promote healthy joints, and support optimal immune function. In fact […] 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.

To the general amusement of reasonable consumers, Coke responded to the initial suit by saying no reasonable consumer “could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.”

Dr. Pepper Snapple Group settled a similar suit with CSPI recently over 7up. Whether or not vitaminwater will end up in the same boat remains to be seen, but remember, marketing something as healthy doesn’t always make it so.