Poppi Soda Lawsuit: The $8.9 Million 'Gut Health' Settlement

The Claims

Poppi is a popular prebiotic soda marketed as a gut-healthy alternative to regular soft drinks, with branding suggesting real digestive benefits. A 2024 class-action lawsuit alleged the marketing oversold those benefits: each can contains only about two grams of inulin (a soluble fiber), which the suit argued is too little to meaningfully improve gut health, especially given the amount of the drink a person would realistically consume. In other words, the plaintiff claimed the “gut healthy” positioning implied a benefit the product does not reliably deliver — a classic false-advertising theory.

The case rode a broader wave of scrutiny of “functional” beverages that make health-adjacent claims.

The Settlement

Poppi (through its company, VNGR Beverage) agreed to an $8.9 million settlement to resolve the claims, without admitting wrongdoing, and to adjust its advertising so future marketing more accurately reflects the product’s nutritional content. Class members — US residents who bought Poppi for personal use over a defined period — could file for a modest per-can payment, capped, with a smaller amount available to those without proof of purchase. The settlement received approval, with payments to follow.

As with most food false-advertising settlements, the individual payouts are small; the marketing changes are the more durable result.

What Consumers Should Know

“Functional” foods and drinks — prebiotic sodas, immunity waters, “brain” snacks — often carry health-suggestive branding that outruns the actual science of a small ingredient dose. If you want a specific benefit, check the amount of the active ingredient against what research says is meaningful, and treat these products as enjoyable drinks rather than health interventions. A soda with a little fiber is still a soda.