The Coca-Cola Company has been served notice of a class action lawsuit filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) over the deceptive and unsubstantiated claims on its VitaminWater line of beverages.

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“Coke fears, probably correctly, that they’ll sell less soda as Americans become increasingly concerned with obesity, diabetes, and other conditions linked to diets too high in sugar. VitaminWater is Coke’s attempt to dress up soda in a physician’s white coat. Underneath, it’s still sugar water, albeit sugar water that costs about ten bucks a gallon.” – Steve Gardner, CSPI litigation director

Coke makes dramatic health claims in its advertising, including the assertion that the drinks will reduce the risk of chronic disease, promote healthy joints, and support optimal immune function. The drinks are then marketed as a healthy alternative to soda by labeling them with healthy buzz words such as “defense,” “rescue,” “energy,” and “endurance,” but contain less than 1% fruit juice and have a whopping 33 grams of sugar in each one.

According to CSPI nutritionists, the amount of sugar in each bottle does more to promote obesity, diabetes, and other health problems than the vitamins in the drinks do to benefit your body as claimed on the bottles.

“My advice to consumers is to get your vitamins from real food. If you have reason to believe you have a shortcoming of one vitamin or another, perhaps take an inexpensive supplement. But don’t seek out your vitamins in sugary soft drinks like Coke’s VitaminWater.” – Michael F. Jacobson, CSPI executive director

If you think VitaminWater is a good healthy treat for you and your family, perhaps it’s time to reconsider.

Image: carolyn.will at Flickr under Creative Commons License