A federal judge from the Western District of Wisconsin has issued a preliminary injunction against Anheuser-Busch InBev SA unit Anheuser-Busch that prohibits the company from using "no corn syrup" labels on its Bud Light Beer packaging, MillerCoors LLC said in a Sept. 4 release.
In March, Molson Coors Brewing Co.-owned MillerCoors filed a lawsuit against Anheuser-Busch over an allegedly misleading advertising campaign targeting MillerCoors' Miller Lite and Coors Light beer brands.
"Defendant's (Anheuser-Busch) "corn syrup" / "no corn syrup" language was part of an intentional, coordinated campaign used in both the previously enjoined advertisements and the packaging at issue in the present opinion," the judge said.
According to the ruling, Anheuser-Busch can no longer put a "no corn syrup" label on its beers after it exhausts the challenged packaging on hand as of June 6, 2019 or on March 2, 2020, whichever occurs first.
This is the second injunction ruling in the lawsuit filed by MillerCoors against Anheuser-Busch over the advertising campaign. The first injunction ruling barred the Budweiser brewer from rolling out advertisements that suggest Miller Lite and Coors Light beers contain corn syrup.
Anheuser-Busch did not immediately respond to S&P Global Market Intelligence's request for comment.
