Gatorade class action lawsuit for false advertising explained

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]Here's why Gatorade's being sued in a federal class action lawsuit for false advertising allegations because they claim their drinks hydrate better than water. My name is Paige Sparks. I'm a lawyer and the main allegations of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit is they're upset with the new labeling that says the drink hydrates better than water because these claims have been proven false. The lawsuit also challenges the labeling on the drinks because it says there's no artificial flavoring, sweeteners, or added colors, but they argue that the products likely contain synthetic citric acid, which is a preservative and a flavoring agent. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants are intentionally misrepresenting the product and they're advertising this way to appeal to healthconscious consumers by using these buzzwords. The lawsuit is filed in the Southern District of New York where PepsiCo, the parent company of Gatorade, is headquartered. Gatorade says that their drinks can help replenish some things that water doesn't provide like sugar, electrolytes, and carbohydrates. And that's why they're saying that they say that their Gatorade drinks can help with the recovery after intense exercising, but too much of these drinks may lead to weight gain.

[00:00:56]When we have different position on claims like this, like what hydrates better, this can really come down to a battle of the experts. And Gatorade's expert and the plaintiff's expert will most certainly disagree. So, it'll be a judge or jury question if this doesn't settle. The allegations about the citric acid are similar to some other lawsuits that have been filed for false advertising for things like Greek yogurt, hummus, Capri Suns, and Goldfish crackers. They say it's unlawful for the companies to advertise these products saying they contain no artificial flavoring or elements when actually they contain the synthetic citric acid. And I tend to agree since synthetic is in the name. Cape Cod Potato Chips is another company that's being sued for this same thing too. Now, Gatorade is making a true read between the lines lawyer argument here on some of these claims because they say that they advertise that the claims can hydrate better than water, not that they will. What do you think though when you look at the labels?