Liqui Fruit’s ‘Nothing But Fruit’ slogan found to be misleading
The makers of the popular Liqui Fruit juice brand must remove or amend their long-standing slogan, “Nothing But Fruit.”
The Advertising Regulatory Board’s (ARB) appeals committee ordered Pioneer Foods, the maker of the popular Liqui Fruit juice brand, to remove or amend its long-standing slogan, “Nothing But Fruit,” after ruling that the phrase misleads consumers.
The committee issued the decision following a complaint that challenged several marketing claims on Liqui Fruit’s website, including “100% fruit juice,” “Nothing But Fruit,” and references to fruit being “sourced from local farms.”
Found fault
The ARB upheld the brand’s right to advertise its beverages as “100% fruit juice” or “100% fruit juice blend,” since these claims comply with South African food regulations, but the committee ruled against the trademarked slogan “Nothing But Fruit.”
The ruling stated that the problem arises from the literal interpretation of the phrase.
“Nothing means exactly that – the absence of anything else,” the committee said, pointing out that Liqui Fruit’s long-life juices contain permitted additives, such as citric acid, ascorbic acid, and natural flavourings, which are not fruit.
South African legislation permits these additives in shelf-stable fruit juices, and Pioneer Foods insists it discloses all ingredients on its packaging.
The company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, argued that consumers should not take “Nothing But Fruit” literally but instead understand it to mean the juice excludes other produce categories, such as vegetables or synthetic ingredients.
The appeals committee rejected this argument, ruling that reasonable consumers could interpret the slogan to mean the juice contains only fruit with no additional substances.
As a result, the committee ordered the company to remove or amend the trademark across all advertising platforms and packaging.
The ruling also reaffirmed an earlier ARB decision in April, which accepted the use of the “100% fruit juice” claim as compliant with industry standards, given that consumers are generally aware of permissible additives in long-life juices.
However, the board also instructed Pioneer Foods to revise its claim that Liqui Fruit juice is “sourced from local farms,” after it emerged that not all ingredients are locally procured.
Pioneer Foods has not yet indicated whether it will challenge the ruling further or how it plans to revise the branding of Liqui Fruit going forward.