What do the terms “cold-pressed” and “fresh” represent? Do ever they require qualification? The complaint for this class action alleges that certain juices made by Suja Life, LLC are improperly labeled. It claims that the juices, blends made with apples and beets, should not be labeled to give the impression that they are fresh because they have been subjected to additional treatment to extend their shelf lives.
Two classes have been proposed for this action:
- The New York Class is all persons in New York who bought the products during the applicable statutes of limitations.
- The Consumer Fraud Multi-State Class is all persons in Nevada, Wyoming, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaska, Montana, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia who bought the products during the applicable statutes of limitations.
Page 1 of the complaint shows images of a bottle of Suja juice and a close-up of its label, with the words “Cold-Pressed” clearly visible. The label for the particular juice, Sweet Beets, also shows a list of the fruits and vegetables combined for to make the juice. No other qualification is made to the description.
In order to make juice, fruits and vegetables are generally squeezed or pressed. The complaint alleges, “Such juices can be sold to consumers as ‘fresh’ because they have not been subject to any other treatment method to extend their shelf life.”
According to the complaint, when juice has not undergone any treatment beyond extraction from the original fruit or vegetable, it can be termed “fresh-squeezed,” “fresh-pressed,” or “cold-pressed.”
The complaint alleges, “Other brands of cold-pressed juices prominently disclose the treatment that occurs after the juice is obtained” via cold pressing. On pages 2 and 3 of the complaint are images of competing products that show designations of further treatment, such as “Flash Pasteurized” and “Pasteurized.”
But the only similar designation on the Suja juice is the vague term “High Pressure Certified,” in a seal at the bottom of the bottle, the complaint says, “where consumers are unlikely to notice it and have no idea what it refers to.”
The back label states that Suja “chill[s] [the fruits and vegetables] out with cold pressure to keep them feeling fresh…” with a reference to a webpage on HPP. This HPP, the complaint says, is high pressure processing, “a non-thermal treatment method to preserve juice for up to 60 days.”
The complaint alleges, “Juice subjected to this treatment method is no longer fresh, and it is misleading to describe such a juice as ‘cold-pressed’ without an equivalent and conspicuous disclosure of this processing step.”
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Labeling of Suja Cold-Pressed Juices Complaint
September 28, 2022
What do the terms “cold-pressed” and “fresh” represent? Do ever they require qualification? The complaint for this class action alleges that certain juices made by Suja Life, LLC are improperly labeled. It claims that the juices, blends made with apples and beets, should not be labeled to give the impression that they are fresh because they have been subjected to additional treatment to extend their shelf lives.
Labeling of Suja Cold-Pressed Juices ComplaintCase Event History
Labeling of Suja Cold-Pressed Juices Complaint
September 28, 2022
What do the terms “cold-pressed” and “fresh” represent? Do ever they require qualification? The complaint for this class action alleges that certain juices made by Suja Life, LLC are improperly labeled. It claims that the juices, blends made with apples and beets, should not be labeled to give the impression that they are fresh because they have been subjected to additional treatment to extend their shelf lives.
Labeling of Suja Cold-Pressed Juices Complaint