As Miami Heat star promotes Coca-Cola's VitaminWater, CSPI sues to challenge false product claims

John Robbins, author of Diet For A New America, writes in a recent article at Huffington Post about a new challenge to the Coca-Cola corporation which focuses on its VitaminWater product. VitaminWater is marketed as a healthy way to refresh yourself, yet as reported by Robbins it is merely water with added sugar and small amounts of synthetic vitamins. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has filed a lawsuit which points out that Coca Cola has been making false health claims for this bottled beverage. VitaminWater includes about 33 grams of sugar in each bottle, much more than could be considered healthy by a reasonable reviewer.

Ads for VitaminWater have included NBA stars Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. When James appeared on TV to announce his decision to join the Miami Heat VitaminWater was a very visible sponsor. Yet this image of strong, fit athletes associated with VitaminWater is misleading, since VitaminWater's sugar content and token inclusion of low quality, low-cost synthetic vitamins is more likely to foster obesity than health. In their response to the CSPI suit Coca-Cola actually admits that VitaminWater is not a health-promoting beverage. Their legal defense is that the public shouldn't take any health claims about the product seriously. The Federal Judge presiding over the case reported that "At oral arguments, defendants (Coca-Cola) suggested that no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitamin water was a healthy beverage." Observing that Coca-Cola wasn't claiming the lawsuit was baseless on factual grounds, the judge wrote that, "Accordingly, I must accept the factual allegations in the complaint as true."

It is interesting that up until now Coca-Cola has been allowed to blatantly deceive the public about their product's health effects while small companies that promote nutritious foods are quickly challenged by the FDA over the slightest concern that a product's benefit claims aren't supported by research. Apparently the more wealth and influence you have the easier it is to have government agencies overlook your crimes or deceptions. The CSPI's challenge will be interesting to follow, as the Federal court has an opportunity to hold Coca-Cola accountable for its illegal and unethical actions. Meanwhile, consumers can refresh themselves with purified water and add a bit of lemon and honey or stevia to enhance the taste without harming their health.