Popular “healthy” soda Poppi was spotted in an unexpected place amidst a recent consumer lawsuit.
TikTok user Jada Paez Suares (@jadapaezsuares) was surprised to discover a whole display of the pricey beverage for sale at her local Ross store recently.
“Poppy [sic] lawsuit is CRAZY, they’re at ROSS………..” she wrote, sharing a photo.
Poppi has been touted as a healthy beverage specifically aimed at those angling “For a Healthy Gut,” as a slogan once present on the cans stated. Its sales have skyrocketed since its launch in 2020, and it boasted over 120 major retailers in 2023. Going to its website suggests it can be found at familiar stores like Target, Whole Foods, Costco, 7-Eleven, and more.
But a recently filed lawsuit may be shifting Poppi’s future. The plaintiffs claim that the soda doesn’t contain enough of the prebiotic fiber inulin to actually have a positive impact on gut health. They allege that the advertising centering the idea of drinking Poppi for this purpose is misleading, and a violation of California law. Specifically, issue has been taken with the 2 grams of prebiotic fiber per can compared to the 4-5 grams of sugar, as drinking more Poppi to get the advertised health benefits would result in consuming enough sugar to cancel them out.
According to NBC, Poppi cans recently underwent a makeover, and now no longer feature slogans like “For a Healthy Gut” or “Be Gut Happy. Be Gut Healthy.”
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the image shared by Suares from Ross featured the new packaging or the old. It also wasn’t immediately clear what the pricing on them was. But it does appear this isn’t the soda’s first appearance at the discount retailer. Other TikToks showing people celebrating their cheap finds have appeared in months prior to the lawsuit.
Still, the discovery has taken on a different tone in light of the lawsuit, and people weren’t shy about saying as much… even if it didn’t seem like it was deterring fans of the drink.
“The lawsuit only talked about their health benefits,” wrote one user. “They are still 1000xs better than regular soda…let me go stock up lol.”
“Ok but how much are they at ross,” another asked. “Imma still drink them idc!!”
“Yeah I saw that and I said yeah this can’t be good,” pointed out one commenter, while another added, “I saw them at five below.”
Poppi has enjoyed a hefty price tag, possibly due at least in part to its claims of health benefits. Target currently lists single cans at $2.49 each, while Amazon has 12-packs available starting at around $25. Previous discoveries of Poppi at Ross featured a price tag of $7.99 per 4-pack—a price now seemingly matched at several major retailers.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Suares via TikTok comment and Poppi via email.
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