Undisclosed Health Hazards Of Coca-Cola Landed The Company In A Legal Lawsuit

The non-profit organization, Praxis Project, filed a lawsuit against The Coca-Cola Company and the American Beverage Association trade group for hiding information about health hazards of Coca-Cola from its customers. The company is accused of using misleading ad campaigns and marketing strategies to fool customers into thinking that Coca-Cola does not cause obesity or other health problems.

It was also said that the company is downplaying the health risks of drinking sugary beverages to boost its sales. However, scientific research has provided evidence, which links Coca-Cola and similar sugary beverages to the occurrence of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and even cardiovascular diseases, Reuters reported.

Maia Kats, Litigation Director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, supported the lawsuit and said, "The notion that Coke's products can be part of a healthy diet is imprinted on the minds of millions if not billions of people, and requires corrective action."

In the meantime, Kent Landers, Coca-Cola spokesman, stated the lawsuit as "legally and factually meritless." "We take our consumers and their health very seriously and have been on a journey to become a more credible and helpful partner in helping consumers manage their sugar consumption," he said.

The American Beverage Association, also conferred with the statement made by Coca-Cola and said that, "Together with its members, it is working with health groups to reduce consumers' caloric and sugar intake from beverages."

The lawsuit was filed with the federal court in Oakland, California, last Wednesday. It urges to completely ban the misleading marketing and advertising campaign and necessitates issuing consumer warnings regarding the health hazards of Coca Cola, according to AJC.com.

The present lawsuit is also a warning to other companies that manufacture sugary drinks and beverages. Though Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, Inc. have pledged to reduce the amount of added sugar in their beverages, shockingly, recent studies revealed that a 16-ounce bottle of Coke has 12 teaspoons of added sugar.

As per the American Heart Association, consuming more than nine teaspoons of sugar in men and six in women is unhealthy. It is evident that the health hazards of Coca-Cola are highly dangerous and people should be made aware of these.