Los Angeles, Aug. 11 - U.S. District Court Judge Dale S. Fischer has set January 6, 2009 as the starting date for a potentially landmark civil suit against Johnson & Johnson over its alleged false advertising of the artificial sweetener Splenda.
The central issue before the court is whether the advertising of Splenda -- a man made chemical sweetener containing chlorine -- makes consumers believe it is a natural product, by using taglines like "Made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar" and similar advertising. Internal documents show Johnson & Johnson knew that its Splenda advertising was causing consumers to believe that Splenda is natural, even though it is not. Although rulings in France, Australia and New Zealand have found Johnson & Johnson's advertising of Splenda to be deceptive, the company continues advertising in the United States that remains the subject of legal scrutiny and public criticism.
Lead Sugar Association attorney Mark Lanier declared: "Now we look forward to presenting the truth about Splenda to the jury and focusing on the very real effect of misleading advertising. We are confidant that the outcome will be a victory for consumers everywhere."