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Clicks’ GNC – Consumer lawsuit in the USA

Posted 23 May 2017

Clicks is the owner/distributor of the USA GNC product range in South Africa.

The USA’s Truth in Advertising, Inc., has published a history of government actions against General Nutrition and its associated companies. The government actions have included three by the U.S. Justice Department actions, three major FTC actions, at least four FTC actions against companies whose products were sold at GNC, more than a dozen false representation actions by the U.S. Postal Service, at least six actions by State agencies, and at least ten actions initiated by the FDA. There also have been more than 100 consumer lawsuits.

[GNC: No stranger to regulatory enforcement. TINA.org, May 22, 2017]

The takeaway message is that government regulation is limited and consumers need to be very skeptical of claims made about dietary supplements.

Source: Consumer Health Digest #17-21, May 21 2017

From Truth in Advertising… Read the rest

May 23rd, 2017 | Tags: , , | Category: GNC | Leave a comment

GNC to Strengthen Supplement Quality Controls

Posted 31 March 2015

We previously reported on the New York Attorney sending letters ordering GNC, Target, Walmart, and Walgreens to stop selling store-brand herbal products that could not be verified to contain the labeled substance(s), or which were found to contain ingredients not listed on their labels.

Here is a follow on story that reports that GNC has agreed to institute sweeping new testing procedures that far exceed quality controls mandated under federal law.

… Read the rest
March 31st, 2015 | Tags: , | Category: GNC | Leave a comment

New York Attorney General targets herbal marketers

Posted 09 February 2015

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has sent letters ordering GNC, Target, Walmart, and Walgreens to stop selling store-brand herbal products that could not be verified to contain the labeled substance(s), or which were found to contain ingredients not listed on their labels. The products included echinacea, ginseng, and St. John’s wort. The letters were sent because DNA tests performed as part of the Attorney General’s ongoing investigation found that only 21% of the products contained ingredients listed on their labels. Quackwatch has more details plus links to the warning letters. The investigation was triggered by a New York Times report about a Canadian study which found widespread discrepancies between the ingredients listed on the labels of 44 popular products and those found in the products.

… Read the rest
February 9th, 2015 | Tags: , , , , , | Category: GNC | Leave a comment

Clicks/GNC in the poo?

Posted 06 February 2015

Clicks launched the supplement range, GNC, in SA last March AFTER new CAM regulations were published, regulations which in essence made these products illegal. Makes you wonder about the scruples and ethics of the company and its directors.

On Monday, 2nd February 2015, New York attorney-general Eric Schneiderman ordered GNC, Walmart, Target and Walgreens to stop selling some of their brands after tests found only one in five products contained the herbs on their labels, and that most of them contained cheap fillers such as powdered rice.

Of course, GNC (and Clicks), stand by this range of products: ““GNC stands by the efficacy of its products. It has removed them in New York but not elsewhere,” Mr Kristafor said at Clicks’ head office in Woodstock.”

One vital aspect not addressed by anyone is this simple facts: there is little to no evidence to back … Read the rest

February 6th, 2015 | Tags: , | Category: GNC | Leave a comment