Natural cigarette maker subject of class-action lawsuit

The class-action lawsuit is still unfolding and the American Spirit cigarette brand company is still on the process of providing pertinent documents to defend their ads and disprove the claims thrown at them.

Since three decades, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. has been using the terms “natural” and “additive-free” to market American Spirit cigarettes.

The law practice statements the advertising and marketing together with the package of one’s tobacco is faulty the users sine they might think it better for you compared to other tobacco. The labels reportedly became the object of scrutiny and legal challenges recently as the brand sales continued to grow despite the overall decrease of U.S. cigarette market. Meanwhile, a consent order agreed to by the company in 2000 from the Federal Trade Commission mandated the company to include the clause “No additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette” as a disclosure in their advertisements.

Reynolds American Inc. of Winston-Salem, N.C., is the parent company of Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co.

The FDA in Augusts this year sent a letter to the company telling the company that they have the authority to regulate the warnings on tobacco products.

Reynolds American remains the parent company to Pall Mall, Newport, and Camel among others.

President and chief executive of Reynolds American, Susan M. Cameron, said the sale will allow the company to focus on increasing sales within the USA and “demonstrates our commitment to creating value for our shareholders”.

Descriptions such as “additive-free”, “natural” and “organic”, the lawsuit says, “are patently deceptive, especially in today’s market, where these terms have a potent meaning for the health-and-environmentally-conscious consumer”. The company is planning to meet the FDA relating to its marketing campaign.