Coca-Cola To Amend Vitaminwater Labels To Settle Suit

NEW YORK CITY -- Coca-Cola Co. agreed to tweak the labels for Vitaminwater to settle a lawsuit that alleged the wording misled consumers about the healthfulness of the drinks.

Coca-Cola said it will add the words "with sweeteners" in two places on the bottles. The proposed settlement, filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York, also prohibits Coca-Cola from using certain statements on Vitaminwater labels.

Washington, DC-based Center for Science in the Public Interest filed the suit in 2009, alleging that the Atlanta-based beverage giant's Vitaminwater made deceptive claims with buzzwords like "focus" and "endurance." The consumer watchdog also noted that the fruit-flavored drinks have 33g. of sugar and only negligible amounts of juice. Coca-Cola began removing many of the statements at issue after the group filed its lawsuit.

Under terms of the settlement, Coca-Cola would have to start making the label changes within three months and complete them in two years. The proposed agreement requires court approval.