Lawsuit claims 'all natural' LaCroix Water contains cockroach insecticide

A Cook County woman claims LaCroix Water contains one chemical used in an insecticide and another that is toxic to kidneys, according to a class-action lawsuit filed by her attorney, William H. Beaumont.

Lenora Rice claims LaCroix Sparkling Waters mislabeled its product as “all natural” or “100 percent natural” and misled consumers about the ingredients in the beverage, which actually contains “chemical compounds that have been adjudged synthetic and/or artificial by the Food and Drug Administration,” according to the complaint filed this week.

According to the complaint, the beverage includes: limonene, which causes kidney toxicity and tumors; linalool, which is used in cockroach insecticide; and linalool propionate, which is used to treat cancer — all of which the FDA labels as synthetic.

Rice initially purchased and drank LaCroix in 2016 because she believed it was “all natural” based on what the complaint describes as “deceptive” packaging.

The class includes anyone in Illinois who has purchased LaCroix water in the last four years.

National Beverage Corp. denies the allegations. “Attention to these charges is an enormous disservice to those who drink and appreciate LaCroix sparkling water,” it said in a statement. “All essences contained in LaCroix are certified by our suppliers to be 100 percent natural. The lawsuit provides no support for its false statements about LaCroix's ingredients.”

The next hearing takes place Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.

LaCroix was introduced in 1981 by G. Heileman Brewing Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin as an “Anti-Perrier” brand. It was purchased by National Beverage in 1992.