Coca-Cola and Simply Orange Juice Company are facing a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. over claims that the drink contains toxic PFAS chemicals. The suit alleges that the company deceived its customers by presenting the product as “all-natural” and “healthy” despite being contaminated with toxic PFAS.
The complaint against Coca-Cola and Simply Orange Juice Company was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on December 28 by Joseph Lurenz. The plaintiff claimed that the companies “misrepresented” their products despite knowing that it contained PFAS.
The lawsuit mentioned that the presence of PFAS in the juice was found after third party testing. While specific test results were not provided, the legal document stated that the level of the chemicals were “hundreds of times” above the federal limit for drinking water.
As news about Simply Orange Juice having PFAS chemicals went viral online, some social media users debated the risk involved in consuming mass produced goods. One user claimed that the majority of present day “mass produced stuff” is “poison” in nature:
The lawsuit against the product comes amid recent scrutiny over the use of PFAS in plastic. Over the last two years, researchers have allegedly found that high levels of chemicals can leak into food and other products that have been treated with PFAS.
A closer look at the Simply Orange Juice PFAS lawsuit
On December 28, Joseph Lurenz filed a lawsuit against Coca-Cola and Simply Orange Juice Company, claiming that the juice contains PFAS chemicals while the company used terms like “all-natural,” “simply natural” and “nothing to hide” to promote the products.
Lurenz alleged that the company knew that the presence of toxic chemicals in the juice could create a health risk but did not disclose the information to consumers. The plaintiff alleged:
“In reality, [the] plaintiff's testing has revealed that the product contains per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (‘PFAS’), a category of synthetic chemicals that are, by definition, not natural.”
The lawsuit took a dig at Simply Orange Juice’s packaging, branding, and promotion. It stated that the inclusion of “filtered water” in the juice’s ingredients leads consumers to believe that “additional care has been taken to remove any incidental chemicals or impurities.”
The complaint mentions that the product’s labeling is part of its wider marketing campaign to promote the juice as having “transparent, natural, and simple” ingredients “in order to gain the trust of reasonable consumers who reasonably believe that the product is free from synthetic” materials.
The suit also stated that the marketing of the product “is intentionally designed to drive sales and increase profits by targeting health-conscious consumers.”
It further mentioned that third-party testing found dangerous compounds like PFOA and PFOS in the product. According to The Guardian, the compounds have long been deemed “dangerous” and were used for several years before being largely “phased out” in the U.S. However, both compounds continue to contaminate the environment of the nation.
PFAS can be defined as a class of about 12,000 chemicals that are used to make consumer products resist water, stains and heat. The compound is known as “forever chemicals” as it does not break down naturally and can cause liver disease, kidney disease, autoimmune disorders, increased cholesterol levels, fetal complications and cancer, among other serious health issues.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), PFAS does not break down easily and can accumulate in the body and environment. The properties present in PFAS chemicals reportedly make it dangerous for consumption.
People can reportedly be exposed to PFAS in numerous ways, with water being considered the main source. PFAS compounds are also found in soil, air, and fish in different locations around the world.
The lawsuit filed against Simply Orange Juice Company and Coca-Cola mentioned:
“As one of the most widely recognized brands in the world, The Coca-Cola Company knows the importance of marketing and labelling, including the value of the label representations they carefully choose for placement on the Product.”
The plaintiff has reportedly asked the judge to order the defendants to provide an undisclosed monetary compensation alongside an award for damages and civil penalties towards the brand. It has also asked the law to take other “appropriate” steps.
At the time of writing, it is unclear how PFAS chemicals have contaminated the water that has been used to make the orange juice and if the chemicals have also been used in the packaging. As per The Guardian, attorneys for Coca-Cola and the plaintiffs are yet to publicly comment on the case.