Food company Kraft dump 'all natural' label from juice-free Capri Sun drink

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Kraft drink Capri Sun: Kraft announced the packaging change as it was revealed a woman was suing the company for mislabelling

Food giant Kraft Foods is removing the 'all natural' label from its popular children's juice drinks, Capri Sun, amid claims it is 'almost juiceless.'

The drink, a lunch-box staple for hundreds of thousands of children worldwide, actually contains a high-fructose corn syrup.

Kraft announced the packaging change as it was revealed a woman was suing the company for mislabelling after discovering the drink, bought in shiny foil pouches, was "anything but natural."

Linda Rex, from Boynton Beach, Florida, bought a 10-pack carton of Capri Sun for a 12-year-old relative visiting from Ireland because she wanted something healthier than soft drinks. When she arrived home and read the nutrition label, she threw the product away.

"Nobody knows about this stuff (syrup). It's a terrible trick to play on the children," said Mrs Rex, 61.

She said the drink contained only small amounts of juice that is sweetened artificially with high-fructose corn syrup - a sweetener made by extracting starch from corn and using acids and enzymes to convert it into glucose and fructose.

Mrs Rex's lawsuit, filed in Palm Beach, Florida, claims the drink is 'almost juiceless,' and doesn't deserve its 'all natural' title.

Her legal actions is being backed by the US consumer group, the Centre for Science in the Public Interest, whose executive director, Michael Jacobson, said: "Though Capri Sun claims to be 'All Natural,' its main flavouring would more accurately be called 'Fresh from the Factory.'"

The organisation, which has sued Quaker Oats, Frito-Lay and other food companies for mislabelling food, said corn syrup isn't a natural ingredient, because its chemical bonds are broken and rearranged in production.

The process was developed in the early 1970s, and since then, the syrup has gained popularity as a cheap ingredient in millions of products.

Lawyer Brian Warwick said the 13-step manufacturing process required to make high-fructose corn syrup is not natural.

"People are selecting Capri Sun because they think it's all natural," said Mr Warwick.

"You might as well be feeding your kids a Coke." Marc Firestone, Kraft's executive vice president for corporate and legal affairs, said in a statement that the company has been reformulating its Capri Sun line and its packaging for about a year.

The revamped Capri Sun will go into production in about two weeks, he said.

"The new packaging ... will say that Capri Sun contains 'no artificial colours, flavors or preservatives,'" he said.

He said the phrase 'All Natural' is being removed from packaging.

The new Capri Sun, which also will contain vitamins C and E, will still be made with high-fructose corn syrup, he said.

But he said Kraft already makes a 100 percent fruit juice version of the brand.

Mrs Rex said she will drop her legal action if Kraft does indeed drop the 'All Natural' claim. Last year, the Centre for Science in the Public Interest dropped a lawsuit against PepsiCo Inc. after the company agreed to relabel its Tropicana Peach Papaya drink - which doesn't contain either peach or papaya juice.

It also warned Cadbury Schweppes it would sue the company for rebranding 7Up as '100 per cent Natural,' despite the fact that it includes corn syrup.

The centre said it is in discussions with Cadbury, but is considering a suit if Cadbury doesn't agree to changes soon.

Nutritionist Christine Bandy recommends children not drink any juice from boxes in the first place. It's better to consume whole fruit, she said.

"If it comes in a package, it's not natural," she said. "It's not natural unless it comes from a tree, a bush or a farm."

 

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