Recently, a new trendy beverage called Poppi hit the market, claiming to promote healthy gut bacteria with its prebiotics. However, a class action lawsuit alleges that the company has been misleading customers by stating that Poppi doesn’t contain enough prebiotics to provide any real benefits.
“Prebiotics are a special type of fiber that can act as food for healthy bacteria in your gut,” reads the company’s website. “Each can of Poppi includes agave inulin, a prebiotic (and natural sweetener!) extracted from the agave tequilana plant.”
According to the lawsuit filed by plaintiff Kristin Cobbs, the healthy sodas contain only 2 grams of prebiotic fibers per serving, an amount too small to yield significant changes and benefits for the average consumer.
“A consumer would need to drink more than four Poppi sodas in a day to realize any potential health benefits from its prebiotic fiber,” the suit states. “However, even if a consumer were to do this, Poppi’s high sugar content would offset most, if not all, of these purported gut health benefits.”
Additionally, the suit claims that inulin, a type of prebiotic found in Poppi, could potentially lead to “inflammation and even liver damage” with doses as small as 10 grams per day. The lawsuit is seeking $5,000,000 in financial damages and is requesting a jury trial to determine if Poppi’s advertisements were misleading.
Poppi gained popularity in 2018 after appearing on “Shark Tank.” Priced at $2.49, the apple cider vinegar-infused beverage has become so trendy that the brand holds a 19% market share, according to a Forbes report. Impressively, this number surpasses Coke by 1.5 times and makes Poppi the 11th-fastest growing beverage brand.
