CHICAGO -- It wouldn't be a stretch to argue that LaCroix sparkling water is largely responsible for the current move by consumers from carbonated soft drinks to sparkling water. It seems every water company has jumped into the sparkling category, and many new companies have cropped up since LaCroix sales began to take off about two years ago.
And one of the often-asked but not answered questions about LaCroix is about what ingredients make the drink so desirable.
Now, a lawsuit aims to pop the bloom off the pamplemousse. Specifically, legal firm Beaumont Costales has filed a class-action lawsuit in Cook County, Ill., against LaCroix parent company National Beverage Corp., alleging that the ingredients in LaCroix waters are harmful to consumers.
The lawsuit was filed Oct. 1 "on behalf of Lenora Rice and all those injured by the popular sparkling water brand’s false claims to be 'all natural' and '100% natural,' " Beaumont Costales said. "In fact, as the filing states, testing reveals that LaCroix contains a number of artificial ingredients, including linalool, which is used in cockroach insecticide."
The lawsuit said plaintiff Rice, "desiring a healthy, natural beverage, was led to purchase LaCroix sparkling water because of the claims made on its packaging, advertising and website. ... However, LaCroix in fact contains ingredients that have been identified by the Food and Drug Administration as synthetic. These chemicals include limonene, which can cause kidney toxicity and tumors; linalool propionate, which is used to treat cancer; and linalool, which is used in cockroach insecticide."
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based National Beverage Corp. denied the allegations in a press release and vowed to vigorously fight the claims. "There are no synthetic ingredients in LaCroix," it said. "Allegations of a recent lawsuit have absolutely no merit and will be proven false in short order."
LaCroix has seen tremendous growth in popularity in recent years, driven by consumers’ increasing demand for healthier food and beverage options, Beaumont Costales said. National Beverage Corp. has seen net sales rise from $646 million in 2015 to $827 million in 2017, and Nielsen data from grocery and convenience stores shows that the sparkling water category itself has more than doubled, growing from $961 million in 2013 to $1.8 billion in 2017.
The lawsuit states that National Beverage Corp. is aware of the synthetic chemicals contained in LaCroix sparking water and yet "intentionally misled consumers into believing LaCroix [is] all natural in order to drive sales of the product."
The lawsuit seeks to stop LaCroix from falsely labeling and promoting its products as natural and to award damages to those individuals who purchased LaCroix under this inaccurate depiction.
Photograph by CSP Staff
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