NEW YORK (AP) -
An advocacy group wants to take the fizz out of 7-Up's antioxidant claims.
The Center for Science in
the Public Interest, which advocates for food safety and nutrition, is
part of a lawsuit against Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. for touting an
added antioxidant in some 7-Up varieties.
The lawsuit, which was
filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in California, says the claim is
misleading because it gives the impression the antioxidants come from
fruit rather than added Vitamin E. The group also notes that the Food
and Drug Administration prohibits companies form fortifying candies and
soft drinks with nutrients.
The suit was filed on
behalf of a California man who bought the drinks but says he didn't know
the antioxidants didn't come from juices.
7-Up Cherry Antioxidant,
Mixed Berry Antioxidant, and Pomegranate Antioxidant were launched in
2009. Despite the pictures of cherries, blackberries, cranberries,
raspberries and pomegranates on various 7UP labels, the drinks contain
no fruit or juice of any kind.
Representatives from Dr Pepper and the FDA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It's not the first time a
soft drink maker has run into trouble for nutritional claims. In 2008,
the FDA sent The Coca-Cola Co. a warning letter for placing
inappropriate nutritional claims on its Diet Coke Plus soft drink. The
agency had objected to the product's labeling, which described the drink
as "Diet Coke with Vitamins and Minerals." A representative for
Coca-Cola did not immediately say why the company took the drink off the
market.
The FDA had said at the time that it is inappropriate to add extra nutrients to "snack foods such as carbonated beverages."
