7UP Will Stop Labeling Products As Containing "Antioxidants"

A gin and tonic, with lemon — (Image credit: Gin and tonic photo via Shutterstock)

The company that makes 7UP will no longer make the claim that some of its beverages have antioxidants.

The change comes as the result of a lawsuit filed last year by the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, which complained about the marketing of the 7UP sodas called Cherry Antioxidant, Mixed Berry Antioxidant and Pomegranate Antioxidant.

The three sodas contain a small amount of vitamin E — which is considered an antioxidant —but according to the lawsuit, pictures of fruit on the labels "gave the impression that the antioxidants might have come from fruit, but there is no fruit juice of any kind in any variety of 7UP," the CSPI says. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration prohibits manufacturers from adding vitamins to carbonated soft drinks.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which makes 7UP, has now agreed to stop fortifying its products with vitamins, and will not label its products as containing antioxidants, CSPI says.

"Soda is not a health food, and should not be marketed as a healthy source of antioxidants or other nutrients,” Steve Gardner, litigation director at CSPI, said in a statement. "It’s to the credit of Dr Pepper Snapple Group that it carefully considered these concerns, and worked collaboratively to resolve the dispute without further litigation. The end result is a big plus for consumers."

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Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.