Friday, September 06, 2019 3:12:39 PM
By Dee-Ann Durbin AP Business Writer
Friday, Sept. 6, 2019 12:33 PM
Big beer is still duking it out over corn syrup.
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Anheuser-Busch to stop using Bud Light packaging that implies rival brews made by MillerCoors contain corn syrup. The order extends an injunction issued in May that barred Anheuser-Busch from making those claims in television, billboard and print advertising.
The cardboard packaging on Bud Light six-packs, 12-packs and 24-packs says “No Corn Syrup” in bold letters and invites customers to visit a web site where it lists its ingredients. Bud Light is brewed with water, barley, rice and hops.
MillerCoors uses corn syrup in the fermentation process for Miller Lite and Coors Lite, but the final product doesn’t contain corn syrup. It says Anheuser-Busch’s campaign is illegal and bad for the industry.
“With this ruling, we are holding Bud Light accountable for their actions, and we will keep holding their feet to the fire every time they intentionally mislead the American public,” MillerCoors CEO Gavin Hattersley said in a statement.
In Wednesday’s decision, Milwaukee-based U.S. District Judge William Conley said Anheuser-Busch can use the packaging it has until it runs out, or until March 2020, whichever comes first. The decision says that as of June 6, Anheuser-Busch had printed 64 million packages worth $27.7 million with the “No Corn Syrup” icon.
MillerCoors had asked Conley to force Anheuser-Busch to cover the corn syrup icon with a sticker, but Anheuser-Busch claimed those stickers would cost $76 million, an estimate Conley said was “absurdly high.”
MillerCoors sued its rival in March, saying Anheuser-Busch had spent as much as $30 million on a “false and misleading” campaign, including Super Bowl ads that showed Bud Light knights delivering a barrel of corn syrup to a Miller Lite castle. Conley said MillerCoors has demonstrated a likelihood of success in its claim that it has been irreparably harmed by Anheuser-Busch’s campaign.
“In light of the limited number of beers in the light beer market, with Bud Light, Miller Lite and Coors Light accounting for almost 100% of sales, that same jury could also find a substantial segment of consumers would infer that Bud Light’s principal competitors contain corn syrup,” Conley wrote in Wednesday’s decision.
Anheuser-Busch said Wednesday it looks forward to defending its position in court.
“MillerCoors is resisting consumer demands for transparency in the ingredients used to brew its beers, but those demands are here to stay. We will continue leading this movement in the beer industry,” the company said.
But the campaign has come at some cost to Anheuser-Busch. After the Super Bowl, the vice president of the National Corn Growers Association posted a video of himself pouring a can of Bud Light down his drain.
Ironically, Anheuser-Busch, which is owned by Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, brews some of its beers – including Natural Light, Busch Light and Rolling Rock – with corn syrup. MillerCoors, which is owned by Denver-based Molson Coors Brewing Co., brews many of its beers without corn syrup, including Blue Moon Belgian White and Pilsner Urquell.
Recent BUD News
- Tilray Brands, Inc. Reports Q3 Fiscal 2024 Financial Results • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 04/09/2024 11:00:00 AM
- Adobe Stock Drops Following Below-Estimate Projections, Cardlytics Surges with Unexpected Profit, and More News • IH Market News • 03/15/2024 11:30:55 AM
- Fisker’s Shares Take a Hit Amid Speculation of Bankruptcy, Altria Divests from AB InBev to Fund Stock Repurchase Initiative • IH Market News • 03/14/2024 11:39:32 AM
- Form IRANNOTICE - Notice of disclosure filed pursuant to Section 219 of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (Exchange Act Section 13(r)). • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 03/11/2024 08:19:58 PM
- Form 20-F - Annual and transition report of foreign private issuers [Sections 13 or 15(d)] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 03/11/2024 08:17:39 PM
- Form 6-K - Report of foreign issuer [Rules 13a-16 and 15d-16] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 03/08/2024 10:04:53 PM
- Airship AI skyrockets with DOJ contract; Carrier Global sells Fire Industrial division for $1.43 billion, and Latest News • IH Market News • 03/06/2024 11:01:03 AM
- Form 6-K - Report of foreign issuer [Rules 13a-16 and 15d-16] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 02/29/2024 01:56:15 PM
- Form 6-K - Report of foreign issuer [Rules 13a-16 and 15d-16] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 02/29/2024 01:47:26 PM
- U.S. Futures Dip as PCE Data Looms; Modest Gains for WTI and Brent Crude in April Contracts • IH Market News • 02/29/2024 11:13:07 AM
- Snowflake Stock Plummets 20.3% After CEO Transition; C3.ai, Okta, and Duolingo Surge Post-Strong Quarterly Reports, and More • IH Market News • 02/29/2024 11:09:45 AM
- AB InBev publie les résultats de l’exercice et du quatrième trimestre 2023 • Business Wire • 02/29/2024 02:36:00 AM
- AB InBev Reports Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2023 Results • Business Wire • 02/29/2024 01:30:00 AM
- AB InBev Named Olympics Games Partner • Dow Jones News • 01/12/2024 02:36:00 PM
- International Olympic Committee and AB InBev Announce Worldwide Olympic Partnership • Business Wire • 01/12/2024 01:30:00 PM
- Form 6-K - Report of foreign issuer [Rules 13a-16 and 15d-16] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 12/22/2023 11:11:56 AM
- Form 6-K - Report of foreign issuer [Rules 13a-16 and 15d-16] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 12/19/2023 11:44:26 AM
- Illumina’s Grail Divestment, Arm’s China Layoffs, IBM’s Software AG Acquisition, and More • IH Market News • 12/18/2023 10:51:50 AM
- Michelob Ultra Partners With Lionel Messi to Announce Being Named the Official Global Beer Sponsor of CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024™ • Business Wire • 12/08/2023 02:00:00 PM
- Form 6-K - Report of foreign issuer [Rules 13a-16 and 15d-16] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 11/15/2023 09:55:55 PM
- Anheuser-Busch on Pace for Largest Percent Increase Since November 2022 -- Data Talk • Dow Jones News • 10/31/2023 03:14:00 PM
- Tuesday’s Wall Street Highlights: Pinterest, BP, Wolfspeed, Arista, Lattice, Pfizer and more • IH Market News • 10/31/2023 11:24:04 AM
- Trending: AB InBev Backs Guidance Despite Further Bud Light Woes in US • Dow Jones News • 10/31/2023 10:50:00 AM
- Form 6-K - Report of foreign issuer [Rules 13a-16 and 15d-16] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 10/31/2023 10:06:58 AM
- Form 6-K - Report of foreign issuer [Rules 13a-16 and 15d-16] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 10/31/2023 10:04:57 AM
NanoViricides Reports that the Phase I NV-387 Clinical Trial is Completed Successfully and Data Lock is Expected Soon • NNVC • May 2, 2024 10:07 AM
ILUS Files Form 10-K and Provides Shareholder Update • ILUS • May 2, 2024 8:52 AM
Avant Technologies Names New CEO Following Acquisition of Healthcare Technology and Data Integration Firm • AVAI • May 2, 2024 8:00 AM
Bantec Engaged in a Letter of Intent to Acquire a Small New Jersey Based Manufacturing Company • BANT • May 1, 2024 10:00 AM
Cannabix Technologies to Deliver Breath Logix Alcohol Screening Device to Australia • BLO • Apr 30, 2024 8:53 AM
Hydromer, Inc. Reports Preliminary Unaudited Financial Results for First Quarter 2024 • HYDI • Apr 29, 2024 9:10 AM