Celsius Energy Drinks Owe Their Customers Up To $250 Each For False Claims
Have you ever seen an advertisement for an energy drink that promised to give you hours upon hours of pure, eye-opening, teeth-gnashing energy? How many times have you bought a Monster Energy drink or Red Bull because they claimed to be more energizing than a cup of coffee? While a lot of energy drink manufacturers do use a bit of exaggeration, most people understand that it's all part of marketing and write them off as just another company trying to sell its product. But what would happen if an energy drink company was not only busted for making false promises to its consumers, but actually had to give them money back?
Before we get into that, we have to introduce a bit of context first. If you're at the gym or loading up on supplemental energy drinks, you've probably noticed the name "Celsius" thrown around a bit. Celsius, by its own description, is an energy drink that is "loaded with better-for-you ingredients," containing no sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors or colors, and most importantly, no preservatives. Celsius, perhaps because of its bold promises of being healthier than other drinks, found popularity on social media, especially on sites like TikTok (via The Cut).
It would seem, however, that not all of Celsius' claims were true and certain customers may expect a surprise windfall coming their way as compensation. What exactly are these "false claims" and are you eligible for a $250 check in your mailbox?
Celsius' drinks aren't exactly preservative-free
According to TODAY, the alleged false claims that Celsius made involve the fact its drinks contain citric acid. While this may not sound like anything to get upset over, citric acid goes against the claim that these energy drinks contain no preservatives. While Celsius does admit that it uses citric acid in its beverages, it claims that it's only added for flavoring purposes rather than as a preserving agent (via Hezi v. Celsius Holdings, Inc.). In order to avoid a lengthy (and expensive) lawsuit, Celsius did agree to compensate any eligible customers as part of a settlement.
How can eligible customers get their settlement? If you purchased a Celsius drink between January 1, 2015, and November 23, 2022, and still have your receipt, you are eligible to submit a claim form to get your compensation. It seems that customers will get a varying amount of money based on what kind of products they purchased. For example, you are entitled to $1 per single can, while a household may be entitled to $5 for each package of powdered drink you purchased. If you don't have a receipt, you can still submit a claim for up to $20 per household. The most amount of money you can get, however, is limited to $250.
If you are eligible, you are free to submit a claim until the deadline of February 13. Oddly enough, Lean Cuisine was also hit with a similar lawsuit some years back.