Many people have gushed over how tasty and healthy PepsiCo’s Naked Juice beverages are, preferring them over aerated drinks. Turns out, the juices weren’t so nutritious after all. PepsiCo’s subsidiary Naked Juice Company has landed itself in trouble after a lawsuit was filed recently by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group based in the US.
According to Business Insider, CSPI states that Naked Juice, in fact, contains more sugar than a can of Pepsi. This is when the brand’s Pomegranate Blueberry juice clearly advertises itself as a no-sugar added beverage.
The non-profit watchdog further alleged that while the PepsiCo subsidiary tricks people into believing that its beverages are full of nutrients like kale, the main constituents are in fact “cheap and nutrient-poor”.
The label for Kale Blazer, for example, promises a “royal roundtable of yum” from its blend of kale with “cucumber, spinach, celery and a pinch of ginger, the complaint said. But according to the label, kale puree is only the second listed ingredient, between orange juice and apple juice, and a 15.2 ounce serving contains 34g of sugar, a Reuters report said.
But the group’s biggest issue with the popular beverage brand is not that the juices are not as healthy as they have been advertised to be. But the brand markets itself as a healthy drink option using taglines and purchase baits like “only… the best ingredients” and “just the healthiest fruits and vegetables.”
“Consumers are paying higher prices for the healthful and expensive ingredients advertised on Naked labels, such as berries, cherries, kale and other greens, and mango,” CSPI litigation director Maia Kats reportedly said in a statement. “But consumers are predominantly getting apple juice, or in the case of Kale Blazer, orange and apple juice. They’re not getting what they paid for.”
PepsiCo, in retaliation, described CSPI’s lawsuit as baseless and said there is nothing misleading about its Naked Juice products.
“Any sugar present in Naked Juice products comes from the fruits and/or vegetables contained within and the sugar content is clearly reflected on label for all consumers to see and every bottle of Naked Juice clearly identifies the fruit and vegetables that are within,” PepsiCo said.
[“source-indianexpress”]
