Dive Brief:
- The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has sued PepsiCo for misleading marketing messages made by its Naked Juice brand, Business Insider reported.
- The claims of misleading messages surround Naked's positioning as a healthy, "no sugar added" beverage while containing more sugar than a can of Pepsi, the group said.
- CSPI also said Naked's marketing was misleading because it emphasized certain ingredients on its packaging while the main ingredients were "cheap, nutrient-poor" juices.
Dive Insight:
CSPI is concerned that the brand is duping consumers into believing they are primarily drinking "the healthful and expensive ingredients advertised on Naked labels, such as berries, cherries, kale and other greens, and mango," litigation director Maia Kats said in a statement.
But as the FDA reconsiders its definition of "healthy", particularly taking into account high sugar levels of food and beverage products, more labels could be considered misleading. Taglines for the Naked Juice brand include "just the healthiest fruits and vegetables." If the product's sugar levels exceeds a certain level, that could negate those health claims and force PepsiCo to rethink its marketing strategy for the brand.
PepsiCo has already been through litigation with this premium juice brand. In 2013, the company settled a class action lawsuit for $9 million after prosecutors accused the Naked Juice brand of falsely advertising some of its products as "all natural" and non-genetically modified.