Dive Brief:
- Coca-Cola has agreed to settle a lawsuit that alleged that labels on its Vitaminwater brand misled consumers into believing the drink was a healthy alternative to soda.
- Under the terms of the deal, approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, the company will remove phrases such as "specially formulated with nutrients" and "vitamins + water = all you need" from labels.
- The news comes just two months after Vitaminwater had to reverse a decision to change the formula after consumers complained about the new taste.
Dive Insight:
The beverage industry has seen so many of these lawsuits in recent months that it's hard to keep track. But the most interesting of them — and the one that might have the biggest impact over the long term regarding the law surrounding labels — also involves a Coca-Cola unit.
As Food Dive observed when the U.S Supreme Court ruled against Coca-Cola in the POM Wonderful case, "the tide has turned." It's time for the industry to accept that a new era of transparency is here.