Bio Lab Weight-Loss, Cellulite-Reduction Claims Targeted By FTC
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
The Federal Trade Commission is challenging ad claims made for Canadian dietary supplement marketer Bio Lab's Quick Slim and Cellu-Fight productsas false and deceptive, the commission announced Sept. 17
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The Federal Trade Commission is challenging ad claims made for Canadian dietary supplement marketer Bio Lab's Quick Slim and Cellu-Fight productsas false and deceptive, the commission announced Sept. 17. At the commission's request, a Utica, N.Y. federal court on Sept. 6 entered a temporary restraining order prohibiting dissemination of misleading advertising for the products; FTC is seeking to permanently bar the performance claims. The government's complaint was filed Sept. 3. Company President Jean-Francois Brochu is also named in the complaint. The Quebec-based company has promoted Quick Slim in the U.S. through ads in major newspapers, such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post, the commission notes. Ads also have appeared in magazines including TV Guide and Glamour and on the Internet. Claims focus on the product's apple pectin ingredient as a "fat blocker." Print ads feature testimonial-type claims such as "lose up to two pounds daily without diet or exercise" and "I lost 44 pounds in 30 days," according to the FTC. Internet ads state "clinical testing" found "80% of patients lost a significant amount of weight" and "after a month, many lost more than 20 pounds." Cellu-Fight, promoted via brochures and the Internet, is said to contain "biologically active plant extracts" that cause cellulite to "vanish without any effort on your part," the commission notes. Promotions also state "Cellu-Fight's draining formulation assures lipid elimination in double quick time. It halts the formation of localized deposits and tones the distended tissues in your thighs." A 180-tablet supply of Quick Slim retails at $70, while Cellu-Fight costs $40 for 60 caplets, according to the commission. The products are sold direct from the manufacturer. FTC announced the action in conjunction with the release of a new staff report entitled "Weight-Loss Advertising: An Analysis of Current Trends," which found misleading claims to be rampant in the industry (see 1 (Also see "Supplements Claim Weight Loss Without Diet, Exercise In 55% Of FTC Sample" - Pink Sheet, 23 Sep, 2002.)). |