A blackcurrant drink produced by drug giant GlaxoSmithKline was advertised as having way more Vitamin C than it actually does. What’s cool is that the independent investigation was conducted by two 14-year-old girls for a science fair project.
As Seed Magazine reports, New Zealanders Anna Devathasan and Jenny Suo tested the Vitamin C content of eight juices, with most matching their advertised C content. But Ribena, which claimed to have four times as much Vitamin C as oranges, fell far short. The teens tried to contact the company directly, but failed to get a response. So they went to a consumer affairs TV show and then the Commerce Commission. After two years, GlaxoSmithKline finally admitted breaching the Fair Trading Act. They’ll pay a fine and change the labeling on the drink. Tch tch. How about detention?–Julia Whitty
We have a new comment system! We are now using Coral, from Vox Media, for comments on all new articles. We'd love your feedback.