Lawsuit against Ricola in France dismissed

A court has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Solinest, the sole distributor of Ricola herb candies in France. The legal action against Ricola products was taken by a 75-year-old male consumer stating that frequent consumption of sugar-free Ricola bonbons had caused him severe dental erosion due to the high acid content of the product. All charges were dropped after the court received a neutral pH-telemetry test report stating that the products do not cause damage to teeth. The sugar-free Ricola products targeted in this case had been independently tested by University Dental Institutes and found to be non-cariogenic and non-erosive, i.e. safe for teeth. In Germany and Swizerland the sugar-free Ricola products carry the “Happy Tooth” symbol as a guarantee for toothfriendly quality.


“We have never been confronted with a complaint like this in our entire 75-year history”, states Felix Richterich, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ricola. “We guarantee with our name that all our products are made with first-class ingredients and are subject to stringent on-going quality control.” The company stays committed to toothfriendly quality in and has recently expanded its sugar-free assortment with a cranberry flavour.