The energy drink company Celcius was founded in 2004 and has exponentially grown ever since, though it seems to be struggling in recent years. The brand recently was ordered to pay $82 million to Flo Rida, successful musical rapper after the company is said to have breached an endorsement deal made between the two around 2014. 

Now the company faces a class action lawsuit that may end up paying around $250 to each Celsius drinker. The problem is an issue with labeling. The packaging stated  the beverages did not contain any preservatives, while in actuality they contain citric acid. 

The company has insisted that the citric acid was added in order to increase the flavors, not in order to preserve the drink itself.  Though citric acid does not cause harm in any way, many Celsius drinkers are still outraged at being misled by the company.  

Riley Lumpkin, a 17-year-old junior here at Hellgate said, “They lied, it’s false advertising, so yea, they kinda deserve it.” Though Lumpkin seemed surprised at the fact that Celsius even had a lawsuit, she said, “I love their drinks, and I’m going to continue drinking Celsius.”  She also stated that she will not be seeking a refund.

Celsius drinkers are eligible to receive a part of the settlement if they purchased a drink between January 2015 and November of 2022. The settlement fund has been set at 7.8 million dollars. Drinkers are only eligible for possible reimbursement if they lived in the United States and had purchased the drink for personal consumption and not resale.

Anyone can receive hundreds of dollars if they have receipts. If in the eligible time frame, people who bought  a Celsius drink can receive around $1 per can, while people who purchased Celsius On the Go and Flo Fusion may receive $5 per package according to USA Today. The cap is about $250 per Celsius drinker.

 Even if Celsius drinkers do not have a receipt they can still receive some settlement money of about $20.  In order to qualify you also need to have bought the following drinks in the given timeframe; Original Celsius (aka Celsius Live Fit), Celsius Heat, Celsius BCAA+ Energy, Celsius with Stevia, Celsius on the Go and Flo Fusion powdered drinks.

Celsius Drinkers who want their settlement money must submit their claim online, and those who wish to submit their claims through the mail must submit them by Feb. 13. If such a large company lying about their ingredients can get away with it, people are left to wonder who else has lied, and if those lies are about things much more harmful than a little preservative citric acid.