On October 14, 2026, a federal judge in the Southern District of California denied a beverage company’s motion to dismiss a putative class action alleging that the “All Natural,” “Natural Ingredients,” and “Nothing Artificial” labels on its ginger ale products are misleading. The case now moves into discovery. The ruling does not decide whether the labels are actually misleading, and the company denies the allegations.
The Allegations
The complaint targets citric acid. According to the plaintiff, roughly 99% of commercial citric acid is not extracted from fruit but manufactured by fermenting sugar with engineered strains of the mold Aspergillus niger and then chemically processed with solvents and other synthetic inputs, allegedly leaving behind chemical residues and mold fragments. The plaintiff alleges he paid a premium believing the products contained only natural ingredients and would not have bought them had he known otherwise. The claims are brought under California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act and Unfair Competition Law, plus breach of express warranty.
What the Court Decided
- The allegations plausibly reach the products. Alleging that nearly all commercial citric acid is mold-fermented, and that fruit extraction is infeasible at commercial scale, is enough to infer the defendant’s citric acid is made the same way. Several recent California decisions involving other major food brands have reached the same result.
- Whether a reasonable consumer would be misled is for a jury. USDA organic rules classifying fermented citric acid as “nonsynthetic,” and the FDA’s 2015 request for comments on the word “natural,” say nothing about how ordinary shoppers understand “All Natural” on a soda label.
- No comparator product is needed. Paying a premium in reliance on an allegedly false label is a sufficient economic injury under California law.
- No preemption. The FDA has never defined “natural,” so there is no federal standard for state law to conflict with. Courts have rejected this argument for over fifteen years.
Why It Matters
Manufactured citric acid appears in a large share of packaged foods and drinks that carry “natural” claims. This ruling joins a growing line of California federal authority holding that challenges to those labels survive the pleading stage. “All Natural” and “Nothing Artificial” are not harmless puffery under California law; a company that uses them may have to prove to a jury that consumers are not misled.
Talk to a Consumer Protection Attorney
Crosner Legal represents consumers in false advertising and food labeling class actions in California and nationwide. If you purchased a product labeled “natural” or “nothing artificial” that you believe contained synthetic or industrially manufactured ingredients, contact us at (866) 276-7637 or through our website for a free and confidential case evaluation.
This post is attorney advertising and is provided for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. The allegations described are allegations only; the defendant denies them, and no court has ruled on the merits. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.