Starbucks is facing a lawsuit claiming that its fruit drinks do not include the fruit that you are led to believe is in the drink, according to The Washington Post.
A suit brought against the company claims that its Refresher fruit beverages — Mango Dragonfruit, Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade, Pineapple Passionfruit, Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade, Strawberry Açai and Strawberry Açai Lemonade — contain none of the advertised fruits.
The class-action suit alleges Starbucks’s Refreshers lack the fruit they advertise, adding to the list of brands whose labels have prompted litigation. https://t.co/AsoTUZ3mrN
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 19, 2023
Instead, the suit contends that the main ingredients are water, grape juice concentrate and sugar. The plaintiffs in the case claim that Starbucks’ misleading names caused them to be overcharged for the drink in violation of consumer protection laws, Reuters reported.
A New York judge on Monday ruled that the case could go forward. In the decision, U.S. District Judge John Cronan said that “a significant portion of reasonable consumers” would expect their drinks to contain the fruit mentioned in the drinks’ names.
According to Starbucks, the names reflect the flavors of the drinks, not their ingredients.
The company also said no reasonable consumers would have been confused, and its baristas could have “sufficiently dispelled” any confusion if consumers had questions.
