Tropicana Orange Juice Isn’t “Natural,” Class Actions Say

A series of class action lawsuits have been filed against orange juice maker Tropicana, claiming the company’s juice is so heavily processed it should not be allowed to be marketed as “natural.”

According to approximately 20 class action lawsuit filed nationwide, Tropicana markets its orange juice as fresh from the grove, yet adds chemically engineered “flavor packs” to its juice so that it will taste the same year-round.

Yesterday, lawyers for the individual Plaintiffs argued before a panel of judges about whether the lawsuits should be consolidated into one case. We reported on one of the Tropicana Orange Juice False Advertising Lawsuits in January.

The Tropicana orange juice lawsuits are partly a result of a 2009 book about the orange juice industry by Yale doctoral student Alissa Hamilton. Hamilton spent five years researching the industry, interviewing Tropicana employees, growers, farmers, and others. Hamilton, who has consulted with one of the firms involved in the Tropicana class action lawsuits, said she would like to see Tropicana be clearer in its labeling and stop using words like “fresh,” “natural” and pure.”

“It’s not simply orange, it’s complicated orange,” she said. “I’m just trying to advocate for more honesty and more transparency.”

A lawyer involved in one of the lawsuits against Tropicana agreed, saying, “I’d like them to modify their marketing so that consumers can make an informed judgment on their purchases.”

Tropicana declined to comment on the class action lawsuits, but said in a statement that it is committed to full compliance with labeling laws and to producing “great-tasting 100 percent orange juice.”

UPDATE: On May 13, 2016, the plaintiffs are seeking class certification of a lawsuit filed against the fruit-based beverage maker over claims that the company falsely advertises the product as 100% pure and natural.

UPDATE 2: On June 19, 2019, Tropicana successfully dodged a class action lawsuit claiming that its orange juice is not “100% pure” as claimed.