Anheuser-Busch sued for watering down beer

A group of US beer drinkers has sued Anheuser-Busch for watering down its beer.

They filed a $5 million lawsuit on Tuesday accusing the company of watering down 10 beers, including Budweiser and Michelob.

The BBC reported the customers claim they were cheated out of the alcohol content stated on the beer labels.

Josh Boxer, the lead attorney in the case told the BBC "our information comes from former employees… who have informed us that, as a matter of corporate practice, all of their products mentioned [in the lawsuit] are watered down."

Agence France Presse reported  the plaintiffs alleged the company is violating consumer protection laws in California and Missouri and is seeking damages for anyone in the US who bought Budweiser's products over the last five years.

Nina Giampaoli, a plaintiff in the case, said "I really feel cheated. No matter what the product is, people should be able to rely on the information companies put on their labels."

Anheuser-Busch called the claims "completely false" and said the lawsuit is "groundless."

According to the lawsuit, the practice started in 2008 after Anheuser-Busch merged with the Belgian-Brazilian InBev, the BBC said.