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Is Vitaminwater Healthy, Or Does It just Sound That Way?

  • Time, Friday, July 30, 2010 10:34 AM
The Center for Science in the Public Interest gained a victory last week when a federal judge in Brooklyn refused to throw out its class action suit against Coca-Cola's Vitaminwater, which it contends is not as healthy as it sounds. There are, in fact, 33 grams of sugar and 125 calories in every 20-ounce bottle, Sean Gregory reports.

"They added vitamins to crap," says Stephen Gardner, chief litigator for CSPI. "And it's still crap. Consumers shouldn't have to assume that the front of a label is a lie. You cannot deceive in the big print and tell the truth later."

Judge John Gleeson says that the health claims on some Vitaminwater bottles may be in violation of FDA regulations and he also thinks Coke could be violating the so-called jellybean rule: you can't say a jellybean fights heart disease because it contains no cholesterol.

Coke believes it will prevail in the end. "Vitaminwater is a great-tasting, hydrating beverage with essential vitamins and water -- and [has] labels clearly showing ingredients and calorie content," it says. "The court's opinion was not a decision on the merits, but simply a determination that the case can proceed beyond the initial pleadings stage."

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