7UP to remove controversial ingredient and marketing claims
Dr Pepper Snapple Group agreed to stop fortifying certain soft drinks in its 7UP range with vitamins and remove references to antioxidants in marketing material. The agreement ends a federal class action lawsuit filed in 2012 on behalf of a Californian consumer, who purchased certain 7UP drinks without knowing that they did not include juices from fruits pictured on the packaging and that they contained only a small amount of a single added antioxidant: vitamin E. The lawsuit alleged that misleading antioxidant claims gave the impression that the antioxidants came from the pictured healthful fruits. Furthermore, it claimed that fortifying those soft drinks was illegal under the Food and Drug Administration regulations, which prohibit fortifying carbonated beverages with nutrients.