Globes
Tel Aviv, Israel – A request for a NIS 10 million class-action lawsuit was filed with the Tel Aviv District Court against Carmel Wines for allegedly misleading consumers about one of its flagship products, Tirosh grape juice.
Israeli families often serve Tirosh grape juice to children for Friday night kidush (blessing) at the Sabbath dinner, and at other celebrations.
The petitioner, Avraham Feldman, claims that Tirosh contains more than 20 milligram per kilogram of sulfur dioxide (SO2), a preservative. Although there is no ban on the chemical, standard regulations state that the label of a product containing it must read “preserved grape juice”, not “natural grape juice”.
Carmel Wines says that it uses bisulfite, in compliance with the standard, as a preservative. The lawsuit is therefore groundless because the average consumer does not know what bisulfite is, but understands that the standard mandates its use.
The petitioner claims that Carmel Wines should make it clear that bisulfite is a preservative and that the grape juice is preserved grape juice.
He also claims that Tirosh cannot be marketed as a natural product, because it contains a chemical preservative.
Thirdly, he claims that the company is in breach of its duty to include “sulfur dioxide” and “preservative” in the list of ingredients for Tirosh, instead labeling it as “natural grape juice” and “100% natural”, thereby misleading consumers.
