US Supreme Court questions Coca-Cola over its misleading juice label

On Monday, justices of the US Supreme Court broke down the argument of Coca-Cola Co, who said the labeling of one of its juices comply with the Food and Drug Administration rules. POM Wonderful has challenged Minute Maid's labeling of its pomegranate blueberry variant's contents, Reuters said.

POM Wonderful, which makes a product that is wholly made from pomegranates, claimed that the Minute Maid juice only consists of apple and grape juice with just a hint of pomegranate and blueberry, at 0.3% and 0.2% respectively, according to its court filing. Attorney Kathleen Sullivan, who represented Coca-Cola in the lawsuit, said that POM cannot sue the company for its alleged misleading labels under the Lanham Act, a statute that is designed to protect trademarks. Sullivan also said that consumers are well-educated to read labels and determine which products are merely flavored as compared to other juice products.

Reuters said that pomegranate and blueberries are popular ingredients that health-conscious Americans look out for because of its antioxidant properties, which reduces one's cancer and heart disease risks. On the other hand, there is no scientific evidence that supports the health benefits of the fruits.

Chief Justice John Roberts debunked Coca-Cola's line of reasoning and said, "I don't know why it's impossible to have a label that fully complies with the FDA regulations and also happens to be misleading on the entirely different question of commercial competition, consumer confusion that has nothing to do with health."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor has expressed concerned about whether the consumers are being misled to buy the product for its supposed pomegranate and blueberries content. She said, "You're permitted to use this name under their (FDA) regulations. But why are you permitted to use it in a misleading way?"

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg addressed the court of the FDA's scope of responsibilities, saying, Labels for juices are not really high on its list. It has very limited resources. You are asking us to take what it has said about juice as blessing (on) this label."

Tags

Coca-Cola Co, Minute Maid, Minute Maid labeling controversy, Food and Drug Administration, POM Wonderful

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