English translation of the original Korean report. Images and source documents may contain Korean text.

U.S. consumers have filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that eight McCafé coffee drinks sold by McDonald’s under the ‘sugar-free’ label contain up to 18 g of sugar in a single large cup. That amount is up to 36 times the maximum permitted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be called sugar-free, according to the suit.

According to a complaint disclosed on the 10th by the plaintiffs’ law firm Hagens Berman, three consumers residing in Illinois, California, and New York filed a lawsuit on the 6th (local time) against McDonald’s Corporation and its U.S. entity McDonald’s USA in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The case has been assigned to Judge Matthew Kennelly.

The lawsuit targets eight beverages, covering the sugar-free French vanilla and vanilla lattes and cappuccinos, along with their corresponding iced versions. FDA regulations require a serving to contain less than 0.5 g of sugar to be labeled ‘sugar-free.’ According to the complaint, in large sizes, Sugar-Free French Vanilla Latte contained 18 g of sugar, Cappuccino contained 12 g, and Iced Latte contained 11 g. Even Iced Coffee, which had the lowest amount at 2 g, contained four times the threshold limit.

The plaintiffs pointed out that the sugar comes from milk. While the syrup itself is sugar-free, milk is included in six of the eight beverages and cream in two, leaving lactose (milk sugar) in the final drinks. They argue that menu labeling should be based on the complete beverage served to customers, not just the syrup.

The lawsuit cites another labeling issue. The FDA requires foods that are not low-calorie to include a disclaimer such as ‘not a low-calorie food’ right next to any ‘sugar-free’ claim, because consumers may assume that sugar-free also means low-calorie. The plaintiffs alleged that McDonald’s omitted this disclaimer and failed to display sugar content on in-store menu boards, drive-thru menus, or ordering kiosks.

McDonald’s Began Switching to “Reduced Sugar” After Starbucks Lawsuit, but Some Ads Still Said “Sugar-Free”

The same law firm filed a similar lawsuit against Starbucks on October 2. According to the complaint, McDonald’s subsequently began changing ‘sugar-free’ in menu names to ‘reduced sugar.’ However, the plaintiffs stated that the term ‘sugar-free’ remained in app advertisements for renamed items like ‘Reduced Sugar Vanilla Cappuccino.’ As of the 10th, no beverages labeled ‘sugar-free’ were visible on the McCafé menu on McDonald’s U.S. website.

The plaintiffs alleged that McDonald’s sold these beverages for at least three years at approximately $2.50 to $5.50 per cup across nationwide stores, its proprietary app, and delivery platforms such as DoorDash and Uber Eats. Citing a survey indicating that 75% of Americans aim to reduce sugar intake, they claimed the ‘sugar-free’ branding targeted this demand. Steve Berman, co-founder of Hagens Berman, said, “‘Sugar-free’ means zero sugar.” The plaintiffs are seeking purchase refunds and an injunction prohibiting the use of the ‘sugar-free’ label until the drinks’ sugar content falls below the sugar-free labeling threshold.

McDonald’s is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange rather than an entity controlled by a specific individual or family. Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski assumed the CEO role in 2019 and has concurrently served as chairman of the board since 2024. From 2017 to 2019, he served as president of McDonald’s USA, a defendant in this lawsuit.

The lawsuit is in its initial filing stage, and the plaintiffs’ claims have not yet been argued in court. As of the 10th, McDonald’s has not released an official public statement regarding the litigation.