Read the full article by Tom Perkins (The Guardian)

“A new class-action lawsuit in the US alleges Coca-Cola and Simply Orange Juice deceived customers with claims of an all-natural, healthy product when the juice has been found to be contaminated with toxic PFAS at levels ‘hundreds of times’ above federal advisory limits for drinking water…

…The complaint takes aim at several specific claims on Simply’s packaging and branding, including mentions of ‘all natural ingredients’, ‘simply natural’, and ‘nothing to hide’. The inclusion of ‘filtered water’ leads ‘reasonable consumers to believe that additional care has been taken to remove any incidental chemicals or impurities,’ the complaint states.

‘In reality, testing has revealed that the product contains [PFAS], a category of synthetic chemicals that are, by definition, not natural,’ the complaint states…

…The labeling is part of Simply’s wider marketing campaign, which positions the orange juice as being ‘transparent, natural, simple in order to gain the trust of reasonable consumers who reasonably believe that the product is free from synthetic’ ingredients, the suit says.

Simply’s marketing, the complaint continues, ‘is intentionally designed to drive sales and increase profits by targeting health-conscious consumers’.

The suit said third-party testing found PFOA and PFOS, two of the most dangerous compounds, which were used for decades before being largely phased out in the US, but which continue to contaminate the nation’s environment…

…It is unclear how or why PFAS are in Simply Orange as the chemicals could be contaminating the water that is mixed with the juice, the fruit or packaging. If the chemicals were intentionally added to the product, then the levels would probably be much higher, Neltner said.”…