Coca-Cola, creators of the popular drink Vitaminwater have tried to stop court proceedings going ahead on technical grounds. The lawsuit was filed after claims were made that labelling on the drink had misleading information that would affect consumers. For example, the labelling claims to reduce the risk of disease.
However, Coca-Cola’s attempts to stop court proceedings going ahead, as Judge John Gleeson said that the case should proceed. He then went on to say that the use of the word “healthy” did not comply with Food and Drug Administration labeling rules.
There was also said to be an issue with the name Vitaminwater. Gleeson stated that the name failed to suggest that sugar is one of the main ingredients in the drink, as it is listed in the nutritional information on the packaging.
A spokesman for Coca-Cola claimed that the claims would be rejected in the end and that the decision was just to say that the court case could carry on past the pleading stages.
It is not clear what will happen from now. Of course, there will be further court proceedings, but it is unclear what decisions will eventually be reached, and what the company will be ,made to do about the drink. It could be a matter of changing the name and altering the labeling so that it complies with the rules and does not mislead consumers into thinking that they are protecting themselves from the risk of disease.