Coke’s Honest Tea Deceptively Portrayed as Low-Sugar, Suit Says

Coca-Cola Co. tricks consumers into thinking its Honest Tea beverages are low in sugar, a lawsuit filed Thursday alleges.

For example, the front label of Peach Tea includes the statement “JUST A TAD SWEET,” the brand name “Honest,” and a vignette of a peach, the suit says.

Consumers understand the “just a tad sweet” statement to indicate the products are low in sugar, New Yorker William Batchelor alleges.

But far from being a “tad sweet” and low in sugar, Honest Tea products contain “significant amounts of added sugar,” the complaint alleges.

The labeling representations take advantage of consumers’ quick decisions ...