Nestea

In this roundup of legal news around the beverage industry, Gatorade settles a bizarre complaint in which it was accused of using a Usain Bolt-branded video game to portray water as a hinderance to athletic performance. Also, a San Francisco ordinance requiring health warnings on outdoor advertisements for sugar sweetened beverages is struck down, and Nestle Waters moves to dismiss a suit claiming Poland Spring bottled water products don’t meed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) definition of spring water.

For decades Hudson News Distributors has been one of the leaders in the magazine and book direct store distribution network, servicing more than 15,000 retail stores in the Northeast U.S. But this year, the company has decided to “wet” its palate, adding a CPG beverage leg that counts LaCroix, Nestle Waters, and now Hint in its growing portfolio.

Nestlé Waters North America faces a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that its Poland Spring water products constitute a “colossal fraud” to consumers, while two Washington, D.C., area pastors take on The Coca-Cola Company. Elsewhere, a judge grants final approval to a seven-figure settlement for consumers in a class action suit against GT’s and Whole Foods.

Nestlé Waters North America, one of the nation’s leading beverage manufacturers, announced today that it has begun adding the clear and consistent How2Recyle instruction to the labels on half-liter bottles of all its major U.S. brands.

ReadyRefresh is Nestlé Waters North America’s online shopping and delivery service that provides a variety of refreshing beverage options directly to the homes of consumers and the offices of local businesses.

Nestlé joins fellow beverage companies Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Keurig Green Mountain in investing in the Closed Loop Fund, a $100 million social impact investment fund that provides municipalities with access to capital for projects aimed at improving recycling programs.

After announcing earlier this year that the tea brand would be relaunched with new packaging and a cleaner formula, Nestle Waters North America is now taking the new Nestea to several U.S. cities with a touring “tiny home,” starting Wednesday in New York City’s Herald Square.

Former Coke brand manager Kellam Mattie returns to the company as the new VP of Marketing and Innovation for VEB, while Nestlé elevates Fernando Mercé to CEO of Nestlé Waters North America.

Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water announced today that it has dramatically increased the amount of recycled plastic used in its bottle production. Thanks to the high recycling rate of California residents, and with help from its strategic partner CarbonLITE, Arrowhead now ensures that 9 out of 10 of its Arrowhead bottles made in California incorporate 50% post-consumer recycled plastic content.

Last week Tim Brown stepped down as the CEO of Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA), and today was named president and chief operating officer of Greek yogurt giant Chobani. He starts in his new position at the privately-owned company on March 20, reporting directly to Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya.

The goal of IH2O, a so-called “water accelerator,” is to “provide entrepreneurs with the resources, insight and visibility needed to launch and scale water solutions,” according to a press release.

The program is designed to move beyond the traditional top-down corporate giving model and underscore the company’s commitment to making a difference in the many communities where employees live and work.

In this new, expanded role, Mr. Sciuto will lead Nestlé Waters’ four brand business units – Nestlé Pure Life, Regional Spring Waters, International and Tea – as well as the company’s work in the areas of Insights, Innovation, eBusiness and Consumer Affairs.

Twenty-two truckloads, carrying 21,600 bottles each of Ozarka® Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, are being dispatched to disaster relief sites and food banks.