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MillerCoors sues Anheuser-Busch over corn syrup ads

The battle over “corn syrup in beer” is escalating again.

MillerCoors is suing Anheuser-Busch over its advertising campaign that shames Miller Lite and Coors Light for using corn syrup in the brewing process.

“This lawsuit is about Anheuser-Busch’s efforts to deceive the public, even by their own admission,” MillerCoors spokesman Adam Collins tells Brownfield. “We think that’s wrong, so we’re stepping forward to show the world the truth.”

MillerCoors alleges that Anheuser-Busch targeted corn syrup because it found, through focus groups, that consumers do not understand the difference between corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup.

“They knew that there was a certain connotation about High-Fructose Corn Syrup, so that was the basis behind this ad campaign,” Collins says. “We think that type of deception is beyond unfortunate. It’s not right. It’s not the right way to treat the consumers and the American public, and so we’re gong to call them out on it.”

Collins says after the brewing process, corn syrup is no longer present in their beers.

AUDIO: Adam Collins

Anheuser-Busch provided the following statement to Brownfield:

“The recent Bud Light campaign is truthful and intended to point out a key difference from Miller Lite and Coors Light. Those beers are brewed with corn syrup; Bud Light is not. These are facts. MillerCoors has admitted to using corn syrup on its website, in social media, in a full page ad thanking Bud Light following the Super Bowl, and even in the lawsuit itself. MillerCoors’ lawsuit is baseless and will not deter Bud Light from providing consumers with the transparency they demand. We stand behind the Bud Light transparency campaign and have no plans to change the advertising.”