Coca-Cola Barrels Put On Trial

In 1911, the United States government filed a case titled United States v. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola that targeted the drink’s caffeine content. Instead of naming a person as the defendant, the lawsuit treated the seized shipment itself as the thing on trial. Federal officials argued the product violated the Pure Food and Drug Act based on how it was labeled and what it contained.

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