Coca-Cola’s Vitamin Water Fails The “Jelly Bean Rule”

Posted On June 8, 2011

See these ads? This is why Coco-Cola is getting sued by the Center For Science In The Public Interest. And, basically, they are getting sued because they fail in something known as “The Jelly Bean Rule”.

Jelly bean rule

Coca-Cola’s use of health claims (and the word ‘healthy’) violates FDA regulations on vitamin-fortified foods (the so-called ‘jelly bean rule’ rule that prohibits companies from making health claims on foods that only meet various nutrient thresholds via fortification).

The plaintiffs in the class action law suit, who are also represented by Reese Richman LLP and Whatley Drake & Kallas, LLC, argue that “VitaminWater is Coke’s attempt to dress up soda in a physician’s white coat”.

Where Else Should The Jelly Bean Rule Apply?

Think about cereals, and how many sugar-glut cereals are “an important part of a balanced breakfast” because someone ground up a multivitamin in it.

Here is a general rule: if a product has to ADD vitamins for it to be healthy … it was never healthy in the first place!! It’s like those things that are called “food product”.

A) if it has to TELL you it’s a food, it’s probably not.

B) “food product” is not food anyway.

Coca-Cola VitaminWater class action to go to mediation