Kirin Beverage Co. has been ordered to pay a 19.15 million yen surcharge for claiming a drink containing about 2% melon juice had "100% melon taste."
The Consumer Affairs Agency issued the order Wednesday, saying the company had violated the Law against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations by using misleading wording on a carton, according to an announcement by the agency.
The agency claimed that from June 2020 to April 2022, Tropicana 100% Marugoto Kajitsukan Melon Taste juice was sold in a package printed with a large illustration of a melon alongside wording that may have misled consumers into thinking that the drink was mostly melon juice -- such as that from gensen (carefully selected) musk melon. However, 98% of the drink comprised grape, apple and banana juices.
On Sept. 6 last year, the agency ordered the company to take preventive measures to avoid recurrence.
Sales of the law-violating juice totaled about 638.5 million yen. Kirin Holdings Co. released a statement on Wednesday saying the company intended to strengthen its package-checking systems to avoid the same thing happening again.
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