12:55 PM EDT, 08/15/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with details throughout.)

PepsiCo ( PEP ) can be sued for the marketing of its Gatorade protein bars, because of allegedly deceptive advertising of the products with a high sugar content, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

US District Judge Casey Pitts in San Jose, California, made the ruling in a lawsuit brought by three self-described fitness enthusiasts claiming the bars could be "junk food."

The three individuals alleged that the packaging of the Gatorade Protein Bars made it appear that the product was a fitness enhancer which would benefit their muscles and athleticism due to its protein content.

However, the bars' main ingredient was sugar, and not protein, and a single serving of the snack approaches or exceeds the daily, health-based limits for added sugars recommended by the American Heart Association, the lawsuit alleged.

PepsiCo ( PEP ) did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MT Newswires.

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