The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) is facing a lawsuit from consumers regarding the adverse health effects of the consumption of its soft drinks.
The company allegedly misled its customers into believing that all calories are the same, decreasing the severity of the effects that drinking sodas and other soft drinks can cause to a person. Research has shown that calories from sugary drinks can lead to obesity and they are not as healthy as the same amount of calories from something else.
The suit claims The Coca-Cola Company intentionally deceived its customers regarding how much drinking soda can actually cause type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as obesity. It was filed by the nonprofit project Praxis, which also named the American Beverage Association.
Maia C. Kats, litigation director of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, likened Coca-Cola’s deceitful practices to the tobacco industry’s attempt to downplay the harm that cigarettes and other tobacco products have on a person’s health from the 1950s until the 1990s.
The complaint is 40 pages long and it claims Coke’s marketing plan was sophisticated and multi-faceted, running false and misleading advertising campaigns.
“Coca-Cola is an excellent complement to the habits of a healthy life,” said former company chairman and CEO Douglas Ivester, which is one of the examples cited by Praxis regarding the company’s claims. Ivester and co. also said there is no scientific link between the beverage’s consumption and obesity.
KO stock is down 0.2% Wednesday.
