A California woman has sued Jelly Belly, claiming it engaged in deceptive labeling and advertising practices by promoting its Sports Beans as a performance aid.
Jessica Gomez filed the class-action lawsuit earlier this year, according to Legal Newsline.
At the heart of Gomez's complaint is that the company used evaporated cane juice instead of sugar in the Sports Beans ingredients list. In 2016, the FDA issued a guidance urging companies not to substitute the term evaporated cane juice for sugar. However, the FDA recommendations are not legally binding, according to Forbes.
Gomez claimed she would not have bought the product if Jelly Belly had been truthful about the product’s ingredients instead of advertising that the Sports Beans are suitable for athletes and contain carbohydrates, electrolytes and vitamins.
According to Forbes, Jelly Belly stated in a motion to dismiss that the lawsuit is "nonsense." The company defended its Sports Beans product, and said the sugar content is clearly stated on the label's Nutrition Facts panel.
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