Naked Juice is a subsidiary of PepsiCo that offers seven different juice product lines, including juice blends, smoothies, almond milks, and coconut waters. Its Naked Pressed line is a premium line made up of purportedly cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices, but the complaint for this class action questions whether calling the juices “cold-pressed” is strictly truthful.
The class for this action is all consumers in all states who bought any of the Naked Pressed products during the period within the statute of limitations.
Consumers have become aware that the high amounts of sugar and additives in conventional soft drinks are not healthy, and they are willing to pay more for products that undergo the fewest processing steps possible and contain only natural fruits and vegetables. The Naked Pressed line appeals to this market with its promise of cold pressing, the complaint says, which indicates to consumers that the juice is fresh, that it retains its nutrients, and that its composition has not been changed by additional processing steps. According to the complaint, the term “cold pressed” indicates the process by which the juice was made, which in turn leads to expectations about the composition and attributes of the juice.
According to the complaint, the juice is cold pressed, with the fruits and vegetables being shredded into a pulp and then pressed with “multiple tons of hydraulic pressure”—but it then undergoes another step of being subjected to up to pressure of up to 87,000 pounds per square inch. The complaint claims that this process has a number of effects: (a) an increase in the temperature of the juice, (b) structural changes to cell membranes, (c) inactivation of enzyme systems, to extend shelf life, (d) the denaturing of proteins, (e) a reduction in the most resistant microorganism “of public health concern,” and (f) a reduction in microorganisms that are not of public health concern.
In other words, while the process has benefits for shelf life and public health concerns, it also degrades enzymatic, biological, and cellular activity and lessens nutrient content. The complaint alleges that the designation “cold pressed” is only a half-truth because the cold-pressed juice is an intermediate product, and the juice that is actually sold to consumers has undergone another step that reduces its value.
Competing products from Bolthouse Farms and Starbucks identify their juices as “high-pressure processed,” and the complaint claims that Naked should also provide some recognition of the additional processing after the cold-pressed stage so that consumers are aware that they are getting a more highly processed juice. This is particularly appropriate, as the complaint claims that the juices retail for around $4.99 for a 12-ounce bottle.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Naked Juice Cold-Pressed Deceptive Labeling Complaint
August 2, 2017
Naked Juice is a subsidiary of PepsiCo that offers seven different juice product lines, including juice blends, smoothies, almond milks, and coconut waters. Its Naked Pressed line is a premium line made up of purportedly cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices, but the complaint for this class action questions whether calling the juices “cold-pressed” is strictly truthful, because the product undergoes another step after the cold pressing which reduces enzymatic, biological, and cellular activity and lessens nutrient content. The “cold-pressed” juice, the complaint alleges, is only an intermediate product and not the final product sold in stores.
naked_juice_cold_press_complaint.pdfCase Event History
Naked Juice Cold-Pressed Deceptive Labeling Complaint
August 2, 2017
Naked Juice is a subsidiary of PepsiCo that offers seven different juice product lines, including juice blends, smoothies, almond milks, and coconut waters. Its Naked Pressed line is a premium line made up of purportedly cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices, but the complaint for this class action questions whether calling the juices “cold-pressed” is strictly truthful, because the product undergoes another step after the cold pressing which reduces enzymatic, biological, and cellular activity and lessens nutrient content. The “cold-pressed” juice, the complaint alleges, is only an intermediate product and not the final product sold in stores.
naked_juice_cold_press_complaint.pdf