Tropicana sued over ‘100% pure and natural’ orange juice claim

By Caroline Scott-Thomas

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Orange juice Flavor Plaintiff

Tropicana sued over ‘100% pure and natural’ orange juice claim
Tropicana Products Inc. is the latest company to be sued over use of the term ‘natural’ – this time to describe its not-from-concentrate ‘100% pure and natural’ orange juice.

The complaint, filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of California, claims that PepsiCo’s Tropicana not-from-concentrate Pure Premium juice is “heavily processed”​ and adds aroma and flavoring “to provide its processed orange juice an aromatic and flavor profile closer to fresh juice and to mask the effects of processing and storage”.

According to Tropicana’s website, each 59-oz container of its Pure Premium juice has 16 fresh-picked oranges squeezed into it.

The plaintiff, California woman Angelena Lewis, claims that Tropicana leverages consumer demand for natural products to market its juice as ‘100% pure and natural’, although mass produced orange juice needs to undergo processing, including deaeration and pasteurization, to extend shelf life and ensure stability.

“To extend shelf-life, Tropicana NFC [not-from-concentrate] juice undergoes extensive processing which includes the addition of aromas and flavors to its NFC juice,”​ the complaint says. “This extensive processing changes the essential nature of the NFC juice sold by Tropicana. It is not natural orange juice. It is instead a product that is scientifically engineered in laboratories, not nature, which explains its shelf-life of more than two months.”

Tropicana spokesperson Michael Torres said in an emailed statement: "Tropicana remains committed to offering great-tasting 100 percent orange juice with no added sugars or preservatives. We take the faith that consumers place in our products seriously and are committed to full compliance with labeling laws and regulations."

The lawsuit is seeking class action status, and compensatory, treble and punitive damages.

The Food and Drug Administration currently has no formal definition of the term ‘natural’, although the agency has said it does not object to the term, as long as it is “truthful and not misleading and the product does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.”

Update: This article has been updated to include a statement from Tropicana, which was provided after publication deadline.

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

Consumer Attitudes on Ultra-Processed Foods Revealed

Consumer Attitudes on Ultra-Processed Foods Revealed

Content provided by Ayana Bio | 12-Jan-2024 | White Paper

Ayana Bio conducted the Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) Pulse survey, offering insight into consumers’ willingness to consume UPFs, as well as the variables...

Future Food-Tech San Francisco, March 21-22, 2024

Future Food-Tech San Francisco, March 21-22, 2024

Content provided by Rethink Events Ltd | 11-Jan-2024 | Event Programme

Future Food-Tech is the go-to meeting place for the food-tech industry to collaborate towards a healthier food system for people and planet.

Palate Predictions: Top Flavor Trends for 2024

Palate Predictions: Top Flavor Trends for 2024

Content provided by T. Hasegawa USA | 08-Jan-2024 | Application Note

As consumers seek increased value and experience from food and beverages, the industry relies on research to predict category trends. Studying trends that...

Related suppliers

5 comments

Show more

Homemaker

Posted by Virgie Williamson,

Disappointed that Tropicana 50 % less sugar has the plant base Stevia, when it claims to have no artificial sweeteners. Explain how you came to this false advertising.

Report abuse

fake orange juice

Posted by Guy terry,

Get organic oranges and run them through a juicer....that's real orange juice and when you drink it you get a boost of natural energy that few foods can match.

Report abuse

The Juice referred to is nothing but a Industrially Manipulated Substance!!

Posted by Food Forensic,

Nothing can be pure and natural and fresh if it has been subjected to a industrial process/treatment.IE: Pasteurization and Sterilization, UHT/Ultra UHT and Irradiation,Filtration etc etc..... They ONLY time these declarations should be made is when products, no matter what products are consumed directly from mother nature's various sources.Whether it be Agricultural, Marine or Bovine Livestock,etc but not limited to bovine livestock. PLEASE NOTE: Declarations made on labels are mostly voluntary so do not always take for granted they are truthful and honest. No matter what country a person finds themselves in.

Report abuse

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars