‘Lite’ Arnold Palmer Labels Mislead Consumers As to Drink’s Calorie Content, Class Action Claims

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Consumers are misled by the use of the word “Lite” on the label of Arizona’s “Arnold Palmer” lemonade and iced tea drinks in that the beverages are, in reality, high in calories, a proposed class action claims.

According to the suit, reasonable consumers are misled into believing Arizona Beverages USA LLC’s “Lite” Arnold Palmer product is lower in calories than similar drinks in the marketplace. In truth, the lawsuit says, the iced tea-lemonade drink contains almost as many calories as a can of soda.

“Far from being ‘Lite’ and low in calories, a 12-ounce bottle has 130 calories, 10 less than a can (12 OZ) of Coca Cola,” the complaint relays.

Per the case, the term “Lite” on the product’s packaging is misleading because it gives consumers the false impression that drinking the Arnold Palmer beverage instead of others in its class “contributes substantially” to the reduction of calories in a person’s diet.

Whereas the FDA’s requirements for nutrient content claims mandate that a “lite” product must be reduced in calories by at least one-third compared to an appropriate reference food, “it would be difficult to fathom” a reference food that would contain one-third more calories per serving than the “Lite” Arnold Palmer drink, the lawsuit argues.

“In other words, a reference food likely does not exist for the Product because it contains an absolute, high number of calories per [reference amount customarily consumed],” the suit contends.

The case claims the branding and packaging of “Lite” Arnold Palmer beverages was “designed to—and does—deceive, mislead, and defraud” consumers, who the lawsuit says purchased more of the beverages, and at higher prices, than they would have had they known the truth about the drink’s calorie content.

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