​Chief Flavour Officer Justin Timberlake Named in Lawsuit Against Bai Brands

BY Sarah MurphyPublished May 4, 2018

When he's not selling rugged woodsman swag, Justin Timberlake apparently holds the title of Chief Flavour Officer for beverage company Bai Brands. Unfortunately, the Man of the Woods may soon be a man of the courts, as he has been named in a lawsuit against Bai Brands.
 
A class action suit has been filed against the company — citing Bai Brands, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Dr. Pepper president Larry Young, Bai founder Ben Weiss and brand ambassador Timberlake as defendants. The complaint argues that the company uses malic acid as a flavouring agent (rather than just a flavour enhancer), thus contradicting the company's claim that they make all-natural drinks without artificial sweeteners.
 
"Defendant Bai and Defendant Timberlake knowingly entered into a single agreement and/or multiple agreements to commit fraud and other unlawful acts by agreeing to promote artificially flavored beverage products as if they were solely naturally flavored without synthetic chemical ingredients," the complaint reads [via Stereogum].
 
The class action suit is demanding that the company and Timberlake return any money that has been received due to allegedly misleading labels and advertising.
 
Timberlake himself has appeared in multiple TV spots for the company, which boast about the brand's five-calorie, not artificially sweetened, "amazing" tasting drinks.
 
Similar suits have also been filed against Campbell Soup, Kellogg's and Frito-Lay, arguing that brands should have to disclose malic acid as a flavouring agent on product labels.

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