Country Time Lemonade Is Being Sued For Allegedly Lying To Customers
Learn why Country Time Lemonade is in the legal hot seat for lying to its loyal customers.
This article is more than 2 years old
Country Time Lemonade is a staple lemonade brand in the United States. Particularly, for their mixable powdered varieties. Many a child has utilized Country Time’s iconic Lemonade powder to tirelessly tend to their lemonade stands as they aspire towards lofty entrepreneurial accomplishments. However, according to Food & Wine, a new lawsuit alleges that Country Time has long been lying to its loyal customers.
The class-action suit was filed at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama by DeMarcus Rodgers. Rodgers is claiming via his council, Gathings Law, that Country Time’s 19-ounce containers of both their classic and pink lemonade varieties mislead consumers into believing they will be able to make more lemonade than they actually can. Each 19-ounce container’s label states that an individual should be able to make 8 full quarts of lemonade and Rodgers says that just isn’t so.
Despite Rodgers’ bold allegations, it remains unclear as to exactly how he made the determination that Country Time Lemonade has been lying to its customers. In the filing, there are allusions to tests the Rodgers had performed which revealed diluted-tasting lemonade. There is also, however, a more specific mention of the way Country Time Lemonade outlines how its lemonade should be measured. “Plaintiff further noticed that when measuring the powder drink mix, he was only able to measure six quarts worth of powder drink mix instead of the usual eight quarts worth of powder drink mix per canister, “ read the court filing.
The court filings’ claims pertaining to how Country Time instructs individuals to measure lemonade may have more merit than Rodgers’ other assertion pertaining to diluted-tasting lemonade. According to the directions on Country Time Lemonade’s packaging, a full Country Time lid makes one quart of lemonade. The thing is, Country Time doesn’t specifically outline how much a lid measures out to. The only real measurement on the package is 3 teaspoons of powder per 12-ounce glass. Apart from that one definitive measurement, everything else is a bit hazy. This suggests that what a quart is to Country Time Lemonade is determined by a subjective amount of powder. Therein lies the problem that the class action suit is trying to address.
How far this class action suit will go and whether or not Country Time Lemonade will receive any penalties or officially have to make any changes to its packaging because of it is something that remains to be seen. However, Country Time’s parent company Kraft Heinz is maintaining that, in their purview, the suit is baseless. “We are aware of the lawsuit, but believe it lacks any merit. We will strongly defend against the allegations,” wrote a Kraft Heinz spokesperson.
Ironically, the lawsuit itself actually admits that Country Time’s packaging states that making lemonade from its powder ultimately comes down to an individual’s personal taste preferences. That kind of subjectivity could be something too elusive to actually prosecute. Still, Rodgers and his legal team are moving full steam ahead. Curiously though, on Country Time’s website, it seems like they may have already updated their serving suggestions. The official website reads that each container makes Makes “3×2 quart pitchers or 24x 8 fl oz glasses.” That may just be a complete coincidence though.
