Coca-Cola has filed a criminal complaint against executives of the French food and drink manufacturer Danone based in Argentina, accusing them of orchestrating a smear campaign against Coke’s Dasani water brand.
Coke claims that the employees carried out a two-year internet smear campaign, which included false statements saying that Dasani consisted of bottled tap water and could cause cancer.
Dasani was launched in Argentina in 2005, where Danone already sold Evian, which was the leading brand of bottled water.
The US drinks firm is filing the complaint under Argentina’s unfair trade practices law.
A spokesperson for the company said: “The basis of this complaint is strong evidence that these individuals orchestrated and executed a widely circulated, two-year internet smear campaign.
“These malicious actions, which called into question the quality of Dasani, have misled consumers and negatively impacted the reputation and image of the brand and Coca-Cola de Argentina.”
