- Poppi, a trendy celebrity-endorsed soda, contains prebiotics that benefit gut health and is low in sugar.
- A new class action lawsuit alleges that the marketing of the topical drink is misleading consumers.
- The lawsuit alleges that consumers would need to drink four sodas a day to reap the health benefits.
According to a new class action lawsuit, people who tried Poppi’s Prebiotic Soda in hopes that the trendy drink, which A-list celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Jennifer Lopez have touted in their social media posts, would help their gut health may have been misled.
“Prebiotics are special types of fiber that act as food for healthy bacteria in the gut,” Poppi’s website claims about their products. “Poppi cans contain agave inulin, a prebiotic (and natural sweetener!) extracted from the agave tequilana plant.”
But the lawsuit filed Wednesday argues that the amount of prebiotic fiber in these low-sugar, “good for your gut” sodas is so low — just 2 grams per serving — that they pose no health benefit to the average consumer.
“Consumers would need to drink more than four sodas per day to obtain the health benefits from Poppi’s prebiotic fiber,” the lawsuit, which seeks $5 million in damages, says. “But even if consumers did so, Poppi’s high sugar content would offset most or all of the purported gut health benefits.”
The lawsuit also says that an inulin-based diet can cause “inflammation and liver damage” in amounts as little as 10 grams per day, and calls for a jury trial to determine whether Poppi broke the law with its advertising.
Poppi’s soda, which has skyrocketed in popularity since appearing on “Shark Tank” in 2018, sells for $2.49 a can on the company’s website.
The colorful cans of apple cider vinegar soda have become so popular that, according to a March report by Forbes magazine, the brand has a 19% market share — more than 1.5 times that of Coca-Cola — making it the 11th fastest-growing beverage brand, ahead of companies like Gatorade and Liquid Desert.
A representative for Poppi did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
