Chewing gum magnate W.M. Wrigley Jr. may have bit off more than he can chew when his company advertised its “Eclipse” gum as having germ-fighting powers.
A group of disgruntled gum-chewers filed a federal lawsuit against Wrigley last year, saying the subsidiary of privately held Mars Inc. mislead consumers when it advertised that Eclipse can kill germs.
The ads claim the ingredient – magnolia bark extract – kills the germs that cause bad breath while other gums can only mask halitosis.
Wrigley says it stands behind its ads and scientific research about Eclipse. Regardless, it has agreed to settle with consumers to prevent continuing distraction from its business.
The settlement includes paying 6 to 7 million to a fund that will reimburse people up to $10 each and cover other settlement costs says the law firms Blood Hurst & O’Reardon and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd. Wrigley will also change how it markets and labels its gum.
The settlement is subject to approval by the U.S District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
