Celestial Seasonings Lawsuit Alleges ‘No Artificial Flavors’ Claim on Tea Labels Is False

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that Celestial Seasonings has misrepresented some of its teas as free from artificial flavors, despite the products containing synthetically manufactured citric acid.

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According to the 44-page false advertising lawsuit, Celestial Seasonings touts some of its teas as “naturally flavored with other natural flavors” made from “the finest ingredients, with no artificial flavors or colors.”  The suit contends that these representations are false because several Celestial Seasonings offerings—namely, the Lemon Zinger Herbal Tea, Peach + Probiotics Herbal Tea, Country Peach Passion Herbal Tea, Jammin’ Lemon Ginger Herbal Tea and Wild Berry Zinger Herbal Tea varieties—contain artificial citric acid, which is synthetically produced and not derived from any natural herb, tea, spice or botanical.

The case says that the Celestial Seasonings website claims that, “[i]n addition to natural herbs, spices, and botanicals, some of our teas use natural flavors to achieve their unique tastes. The natural flavors we use are derived from real ingredients and do not contain artificial or synthetic additives.”

However, the filing states that approximately 99 percent of the citric acid in food is synthetic, produced by fermenting a mold strain known as Aspergillus niger. Part of the process, the case explains, involves using chemical solvents to separate citric acid from Aspergillus.

“[F]ermentation liquor and residue of the chemical solvents remain” in the finished product, which consumers then ingest, the lawsuit says.

Per the case, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has previously sent letters to food manufacturers stating that they may not represent products as “all natural” if they contain synthetic citric acid.

The suit says that the synthetic citric acid in the teas is used to “enhance [the teas] tartness” and function as a flavoring agent rather than a preservative. However, the filing charges that Celestial Seasonings has tacitly admitted to using synthetic citric acid in its teas by listing the ingredient separately from “Other Natural Flavor.”

The lawsuit argues that if the citric acid used in the tea wasn’t synthetic, there would be “no reason to list ‘citric acid’ as an ingredient in addition to ‘Other Natural Flavors.’”

Celestial Seasonings made “knowing, reckless, unfair, misleading, and/or intentional misrepresentations” that its products were “all natural” and contained “no artificial flavorings,” the case says.

“Based on the overall impression given by the packaging, communications, and misrepresentations, no reasonable consumer could expect or understand that the citric acid in [Celestial Seasonings’] teas is synthetic,” the lawsuit relays. The complaint says the plaintiffs would not have purchased the teas had they known they contained synthetic citric acid.

The Celestial Seasonings class action lawsuit seeks to cover all individuals who, from January 8, 2022 to the present, purchased the teas for household use, and not for resale.

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