7 - FDA: You can't call HPP-treated juice ‘fresh'... (But can you call it ‘raw’?)

High pressure processing (HPP) has breathed fresh life into the US juice and coconut water market. But if beverage firms are excited about the technology, so, it appears, are plaintiffs' attorneys, who are starting to take issue with the way some HPP-treated products are being marketed.

With respect to the word ‘fresh’ on food labels, the law is clear; the FDA told us:​​ “You can't call it ‘fresh ‘if you put it under HPP.”​

With respect to the word ‘raw’, however, there is no specific regulation, which is why the makers of some HPP-treated beverages making ‘raw’ claims have been targeted.

However, they have not made significant progress to date. The most high-profile lawsuit - filed against Hain Celestial-owned juice brand BluePrint Cleanse - ended rather ignominiously in July after a judge ruled that the plaintiff derailed his own case ​​by submitting scientific papers to the court which contradicted his own arguments. A similar case brought vs Suja Life, meanwhile, was voluntarily dismissed in May.