The Simply Orange Juice Company and its parent, the Coca-Cola Company, are the defendants in this class action about Simply Tropical juice drink. The complaint alleges that the drink, which is marketed as “All Natural,” actually contains per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), synthetic chemicals which accumulate in the body and which have been associated with negative health effects.
The National Class for this action is all persons who bought the product in the US, for personal use and not for resale, during the fullest period allowed by law. A New York Subclass has also been defined for those in the above class who bought the product in New York.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals that are not found in nature. The complaint quotes a study as saying, “PFAS have been shown to have a number of toxicological effects in laboratory studies and have been associated with thyroid disorders, immunotoxicity effects, and various cancers in epidemiology studies.”
The effects cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the complaint alleges, include “cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility, and increased risk of asthma and thyroid disease.”
PFAS are sometimes called “forever chemicals” because the accumulate in the environment and in the human body, the complaint says, with no known way to remove them from the body.
Page 3 shows an image of the product bottle, showing the claim “All Natural” in two places. The complaint alleges the juice drink is marketed as “made simply” from “all-natural ingredients.” Even the word “Simply” in the product name, the complaint alleges, is designed to attract “health-conscious consumers who reasonably believe that the Product is all-natural and therefore free from synthetic or artificial ingredients which are known to be harmful to human health.”
The first substance listed on the ingredient panel is “pure filtered water,” which the complaint alleges “lead[s] reasonable consumers to believe that additional care has been taken to remove any incidental chemicals or impurities that might otherwise contradict their natural claims.”
The complaint alleges that the juice was subjected to independent, third-party testing which “detected material levels of multiple PFAS in the Product, including concerning levels of Perfluorooctanoic acid (‘PFOA’) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (‘PFOS’), which it claims are well-studied types of PFAS that have been linked to negative effects on the immune system, the cardiovascular system, human development, and cancer risks.
According to the complaint, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that the levels which could cause negative health effects are lower than previously believed and so has lowered its health advisory levels, to 0.004 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and 0.02ppt for PFOS. “However,” the complaint alleges, the testing relating to this case “has revealed the Product contains PFOA and PFOS in amounts more than 100 times the EPA’s recommended levels.”
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Simply Tropical Juice Drink Contains PFAS Complaint
December 28, 2022
The Simply Orange Juice Company and its parent, the Coca-Cola Company, are the defendants in this class action about Simply Tropical juice drink. The complaint alleges that the drink, which is marketed as “All Natural,” actually contains per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), synthetic chemicals which accumulate in the body and which have been associated with negative health effects.
Simply Tropical Juice Drink Contains PFAS ComplaintCase Event History
Simply Tropical Juice Drink Contains PFAS Complaint
December 28, 2022
The Simply Orange Juice Company and its parent, the Coca-Cola Company, are the defendants in this class action about Simply Tropical juice drink. The complaint alleges that the drink, which is marketed as “All Natural,” actually contains per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), synthetic chemicals which accumulate in the body and which have been associated with negative health effects.
Simply Tropical Juice Drink Contains PFAS Complaint