Man not buying Snapple's 'all natural' claim

Suit alleges Cadbury Schweppes' drink uses high fructose corn syrup; seeks class action status.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A New York man sued Cadbury Schweppes Plc Friday, alleging the company mislabeled certain products, including its Snapple juice and tea drinks, as "all natural" when they were not.

Hemant Mehta, who wants the suit to become a class action complaint, alleged that the drinks contained high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and "other non-natural products," according to the suit filed in Manhattan federal court.

Mehta seeks to represent all people who bought certain Cadbury Schweppes (Charts) and Snapple drinks over the last six years.

"HFCS does not exist in nature and is not 'minimally processed,"' the complaint alleges. "Describing HFCS as an 'all natural' ingredient is deceptive and unfair to consumers and competitors."

A Cadbury Schweppes representative was not immediately available for comment.

Rye Brook, New York-based Snapple uses "Made from the best stuff on Earth" as its slogan. British-based Cadbury is the world's largest confectionary company and competes with Coca-Cola (Charts, Fortune 500) and Pepsi (Charts, Fortune 500).