US says pomegranate juice firm made false health claims
US regulators Monday charged POM Wonderful, the maker of a brand of pomegranate juice, had made unsubstantiated health claims about its products.
The Federal Trade Commission said the juice and supplements firm made "false and unsubstantiated claims that their products will prevent or treat heart disease, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction."
The complaint says the company "violated federal law by making deceptive disease prevention and treatment claims" with ads in the New York Times and other publications and on the Internet.
"Any consumer who sees POM Wonderful products as a silver bullet against disease has been misled," said David Vladeck, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection.
"When a company touts scientific research in its advertising, the research must squarely support the claims made. Contrary to POM Wonderful's advertising, the available scientific information does not prove that POM Juice or POMx (supplements) effectively treats or prevents these illnesses."
Among the claims made in the ads were that the juice or supplements were "proven to fight for cardiovascular, prostate and erectile health."
(c) 2010 AFP
