Supplement Makers Fined for False Claims
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently filed complaints in four separate cases against marketers of weight control pills for what the commission called “deceptive marketing” of products. Named in the complaint were the makers of Xenadrine EFX, CortiSlim, TrimSpa and One-A-Day WeightSmart for using false claims not supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence. According to a press release issued by the FTC on January 4, the four different manufacturers have settled with the agency, surrendering cash and other assets worth at least $25 million; all have agreed to limit their future advertising claims about weight loss.
“You won’t find weight loss in a bottle of pills that claims it has the latest scientific breakthrough or miracle ingredient,” said FTC chairperson Deborah Platt Majoras. “Paying for fad science is a good way to lose cash, not pounds.”
Here’s a taste of what’s cooking in
the world of nutrition:
Nutrition experts are divided
over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent move
toward allowing the sale
of milk and meat from cloned animals; critics are worried by the FDA’s preliminary opinion that food created
using this controversial technology will not require mandatory labeling.
Advertisers are thinking inside and outside the box when it comes to
hawking their wares; witness the
use of eggshells by CBS to tout its new television shows
and Chinese food
cartons that now promote Continental Airlines flights.
Tea drinkers are blanching at news that adding milk to tea ruins the health benefits of the beverage; according to a new study published in the online version of the European Heart Journal, proteins in the milk override the health effects of black tea.
Researchers have created a
liquid diet pill for dogs to combat canine obesity; like their masters, more than a third of the nation’s 62 million pooches are currently overweight or obese.
College-bound students can now major in an organic farming program at several universities, including Washington State University, Colorado State University and the University of Florida.
