Foodwatch names LaVita juice the "most brazen advertising lie" of the year

Price and criticism of the composition

Foodwatch criticizes that the name-giving ingredient matcha makes up only 0.1 percent of the product. "The greenish color of the yogurt is also produced by the algae powder spirulina." This suggests to consumers a high matcha content that is in fact not present.

Alina Nitsche, Foodwatch expert, justified the decision in clear words: "Der Saft steht beispielhaft für die Abzocke mit irreführenden Gesundheitsversprechen." She added: "LaVita kassiert Verbraucher:innen mit dem Wunsch nach Gesundheit kräftig ab."

According to the organization, individual added vitamins and nutrients are also dosed higher than necessary. Foodwatch sees this as a systemic problem: "Der Markt für Lebensmittel mit Vitaminzusatz und Supplements boomt, kontrolliert wird er kaum."

Reactions and demands on politicians

The "Goldener Windbeutel" has been awarded annually by Foodwatch since 2009, "um Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher auf Produkte aufmerksam zu machen, die besser im Laden bleiben sollten." "Die Auswahl der Preisträger erfolgt in einem mehrstufigen Verfahren, bei dem Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher online über zuvor nominierte Produkte abstimmen." In past years, the negative prizes went to, among others, the children's fruit snacks "Obsties" by Alete (2024) and Milka Alpenmilch by Mondelez (2025).

Foodwatch therefore demands stronger intervention from politicians: "Bund und Länder müssten die Lebensmittelüberwachung personell und finanziell besser ausstatten, um gegen Verbrauchertäuschung wirksam vorgehen zu können." The consumer organization assesses the advertising promises around LaVita as misleading overall.

The LaVita product is, according to Foodwatch, marketed as a "natural product" and as a "tägliche Basis für unsere Gesundheit." These formulations are not backed by the composition. The fruit juice is a clear example of how health-related promises can be used to charge many times the usual price.

Background: The Golden Windbag

Overall, Foodwatch sees the LaVita case as exemplary of a broader development in the food market. The growing demand for fortified products and dietary supplements meets weak state oversight. This enables manufacturers to enforce high prices with dubious health claims.

The negative prize was awarded for the 15th time this year. With the award, Foodwatch wants to draw public attention to practices that, in the consumer organization's view, mislead consumers.

Foodwatch announced that it will maintain its criticism of LaVita beyond the award ceremony. The consumer organization calls on consumers to critically scrutinize advertising promises and to participate in the annual vote.