• 🥃 NA Drinkers Want Novelty, Flavor & Ease
• 🧑‍⚖️ KDP Sued For ‘Naturally Flavored’ Ginger Ale
• ⚡ Redcon1 Relaunches JOLT Cola
• 🥥 BPA Found in Canned Coconut Waters
• 👻 KDP Catches A GHOST, Olipop Plays Ball & Whole Foods’ 2025 Trends

Los Angeles County is looking to take Coke and Pepsi to court over the soda giants’ environmental impact. 

The county announced this week that it has filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company, as well as Pepsi Bottling Ventures and Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, alleging those companies have tried to deceive the public about the recyclability of and potential health issues emanating from plastic bottles.

“PepsiCo and Coca-Cola – the top plastic polluters in the world – have littered the County of Los Angeles … with their plastic bottles and engaged in a disinformation campaign to make consumers falsely believe that purchasing their products in single-use plastic bottles is an environmentally responsible choice,” the complaint states, noting that plastic is the primary source of litter in California and has impacted the county’s water sources and natural resources.

The 41-page filing argues that both companies falsely promised “that recycling can offset any harm associated with single-use plastic bottles” – citing claims to create a “circular economy” where the packaging can be reused endlessly and numerous marketing materials touting their sustainability initiatives – despite knowing that such bottles “can only be recycled once, if at all.” 

The county also alleges that Coke and Pepsi have regularly proposed solutions to the plastic pollution issue that “they know, or should know, will not solve the problem,” such as chemical recycling.

It also paints a portrait of consumers who have not only been misled about the efficacy of recycling, but burdened by the corporations’ claims, noting that people “have dutifully rinsed and sorted plastic products into designation recycling bins and carted them to curbs or trash rooms believing they are doing their part.”

The lawsuit seeks restitution for consumers and penalties of up to $2,500 per violation. The county is represented by law firm Motley Rice LLC.

The efficacy of plastic recycling programs has previously come under scrutiny this year as reports reveal that the vast majority of plastic waste cannot actually be reused. In August, a consumer poll of 1,231 American voters by Data for Progress and the Center for Climate Integrity found a majority wants to see the plastics and fossil fuels industries held responsible for misleading the public on the issue.

In September, the SEC fined another soda giant, Keurig Dr Pepper, for inaccurate statements made in regards to the recyclability of its K-Cup pods.

Go Deeper: SEC Slaps KDP Over Sustainability Claims

Grab a favorite beverage and settle in for a lively exploration of today's hottest category trends. In this new series, Cargill subject-matter experts spill the tea on emerging trends, new research and innovative solutions to help you shake up your corner of the market. Learn more

Sober October is nearly behind us and Dry January is on the way, but younger drinkers don’t need incentives to put down the booze. That was one of the takeaways from a panel hosted this week by Distill Ventures on Adult Non-Alc (ANA) numbers and trends.

🦜 As ANA globally picks up, consumers are discovering new products through word of mouth and specialty stores, but price and taste remain barriers to entry. 

🍸 Gen Zers in particular are reaching for non-alc cocktails, but for ANA consumers across the board, price outweighs taste as the top deterrent: 60% of survey respondents said they don't think that RTD mocktails are good value, according to one analyst. 

🏴‍☠️ Making your ANA product easy to find is particularly important to younger generations as  they’re more likely to pick up something else to drink instead of hunting for obscure bottles.

Learn more trends and tips from top analysts in the sector.

Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit in California federal court alleging the company mislabeled its Schweppes and Canada Dry ginger ale brands so that a consumer would believe “they were solely naturally flavored.”

📝 Plaintiff Lillian Elliot accused KDP on Tuesday of violating various consumer protection statutes and misleading consumers into believing Canada Dry and Schweppes ginger ale products are exclusively flavored with natural flavors. 

👀 Elliot argues that the products’ labels tout the drinks are flavored with “only natural ginger flavor” or are “naturally flavored” when their main ginger flavor is simulated by dl-malic acid, an artificial flavoring. 

💭 “Because the products contain added artificial flavoring that simulates and reinforces the products' characterizing ginger flavor, the products' front labels are required by law to disclose the presence of those additional flavorings,” reads the complaint. 

Energy drink and fitness supplement brand Redcon1 has entered a deal to use the JOLT Cola branding with its licensing agency IMG. Described as the “first energy drink,” JOLT was a popular, highly-caffeinated alternative to Coke and Pepsi that launched in 1985 with a slogan boasting “All the Sugar, Twice the Caffeine.”

🧪 Although Redcon1 uses the JOLT Cola logo, the formulation has zero sugar, 200 mg caffeine and vitamins, along with functional ingredients that support metabolism.

🏋️ The partnership is launching with two exclusive flavors available in 16 oz. cans, with plans to extend into pre-workout and energy shot formats.

🗣️ "JOLT Cola is more than just a product; it's a piece of history. We're thrilled to have brought JOLT and REDCON1 together to reintroduce this iconic product and celebrate its legacy with both loyal fans and a new generation eager to experience the bold energy of JOLT," said IMG  senior director of licensing Nick Manzo. 

The nonprofit organization Center for Environmental Health (CEH) sent 11 letters to coconut water makers this week after detecting high levels of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in the liquid when packaged in cans. 

❌ The brands include Vita Coco, Zola, C2O, 365 Whole Foods Market, Parrot, Sprouts, Jarritos, Goya, Sun Harvest, Raley's, and Iberia; CEH noted that the majority of the products also carry labels for “BPA Free,” “Non-BPA Lining" or “BPA Free Packaging.”

⚙️ BPA is known to be one of many chemicals that can leach into a product during manufacturing, processing, and packaging

🗣️ "The problem with bisphenols like BPA is it can mimic hormones like estrogen and block other hormone receptors, even at low levels, altering the way hormones control the function of our bodies, and resulting in negative health effects. Exposure during pregnancy has been associated with a variety of health problems in children,” said Mihir Vohra, science lead at CEH. 

On this episode of CPG Week, the team breaks down Keurig Dr Pepper’s (KDP) $1 billion deal to acquire GHOST Energy. This includes a discussion of why this move is surprising when KDP’s other energy category investments come into consideration as well as how the integration of GHOST has the potential to open new distribution opportunities for emerging category brands. The team also talks about Olipop’s growing list of sports team partnerships and how it is putting together a novel formula for category disruption. Later, the chatter turns to all of the insights within Whole Foods Market’s recent 2025 trends list.

Listen to the episode now.