Center for Science in the Public Interest , a nutrition advocacy group sued the Coca-Cola Co., the biggest beverage maker in the world, over what it calls "deceptive" health claims about VitaminWater. The Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest accuses Coke of selling what it says is basically sugar water by claiming it has vitamins that boost immunity and reduce the risk of disease.The group said the health benefit claims that Coca-Cola makes about its VitaminWater are "nonsense." It filed a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California. "VitaminWater flavors are marketed with words such as defense, rescue, energy and endurance. The drinks' top three ingredients are water, cane sugar and crystalline fructose, a form of sugar, according to the bottle labels. The 20-ounce bottle has roughly 33 grams of sugar, compared with about 39 grams in a typical 12-ounce soft drink. Consumers worried about their health had been driving down sales for soft drinks and switching to bottled water and other drinks like VitaminWater. The lawsuit says Coca-Cola "profited enormously" from sales driven by consumers' health concerns.

"It truly shocks the conscience that a company like Coke would try to keep customers by selling them a soft drink and telling them it's a vitamin," said Stephen Gardner, director of litigation for the group.  http://www.cspinet.org/new/200901151.html