Vizzy hard seltzer class action alleges antioxidant claims make products seem healthy

Vizzy hard seltzer vitamin C alcoholic beverages class action overview: 

• Who: A hard seltzer customer is suing the Molson Coors Beverage Co.
• Why: The plaintiff says some of the Vizzy hard seltzers are marketed as healthy when they are not.
• Where: The case was filed in Florida federal court.

Molson Coors markets some of its Vizzy hard seltzers as containing antioxidants, deceiving customers into believing their health benefits outweigh the harms of consuming alcohol, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Evvie Eyzaguirre filed the class action lawsuit against Molson Coors Beverage Co. USA LLC on May 11 in a Florida federal court, alleging violations of Florida and federal consumer laws. 

Molson Coors sells Vizzy brand hard seltzer in flavors such as Hint of Watermelon Strawberry and promoted as “With Antioxidant Vitamin C From Acerola Superfruit,” Eyzaguirre says.

However, this marketing misleads customers, she says.

“Advertising health benefits of the products through the addition of antioxidants and ‘superfruit’ caused consumers, like Plaintiff, to misconstrue the negative effects of even moderate amounts of alcohol consumption,” the Molson Coors class action lawsuit states.

Molson Coors tried to make Vizzy stand out from other seltzers, class action says

The Vizzy class action says Molson Coors managers have tried to make Vizzy stand out from other seltzer companies by making it appear healthier than the others. However, it also points out that, in 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated fortification of alcohol beverages with nutrients was not in standing with its policies.

This was because alcoholic beverages that contain added vitamins or minerals “have no apparent public health benefit and could be misleading to consumers who may perceive these alcohol beverages as a healthy product,” according to the FDA.

Eyzaguirre adds that the vitamin C content is promoted alongside pictures of fresh fruit, which gives consumers the impression the products are a nutritionally equivalent source of the nutrients found in those fruits.

She also alleges the product does not have a “hint” of watermelon, as advertised.

She’s looking to represent everyone in Florida who bought the product, plus a consumer fraud multistate class of consumers from Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana and Arkansas.

Eyzaguirre is suing under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and for breach of warranty and fraud. 

The news comes after an Illinois hard-seltzer drinker filed a class action lawsuit against Fermented Sciences Inc. in 2021, with similar claims related to Flying Embers hard seltzer.

Would you be more likely to buy an alcoholic beverage that was labeled as having antioxidants? Let us know in the comments! 

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