California Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Over AriZona 'Natural' Labeling After Similar Claim Was Dismissed

The Independent reported that the products named in the complaint contain synthetic ingredients such as citric acid and high fructose corn syrup. Plaintiffs David Ford and Ivette Archila stated they would not have regularly purchased the drinks in California for at least the past four years if they had known about the synthetic ingredients.

The lawsuit document said the plaintiffs paid more for the products and would have been willing to pay less or not purchase them absent the labeling.

The teas listed are Blueberry White Tea, Black & White Tea, Iced Tea with Lemon Flavor, Iced Tea with Peach Flavor, Real Brewed Sweet Tea, and Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey. The fruit juices listed are Fruit Punch, Mucho Mango, Watermelon, Kiwi Strawberry, and Pineapple Fruit Juice Cocktails.

The suit seeks an order requiring AriZona to pay restitution and end its alleged unfair business practices.

Ford and Archila seek to represent a class of California purchasers of the products for personal or household use from four years before the filing through the date a class is notified. AriZona Iced Tea has remained priced at 99 cents per can since it first reached the market in the early 1990s.

In August 2025, US District Judge Jeffrey S. White ruled in favor of AriZona in a similar false-advertising case. The judge found that the plaintiff in that matter had formed the belief the drinks were misleading by 2021 yet continued to purchase them in 2022, writing that the buyer did not modify his behavior after gaining that belief.