“Naked” Juice has been in the news recently as they have settled a lawsuit taken against them for $9 million dollars.
The website for the settlement, NakedJuiceClass.com, explains that the lawsuit took issue with Naked Juice’s use of phrases like “100% Juice,” “100% Fruit,” “From Concentrate,” “All Natural,” “All Natural Fruit,” “All Natural Fruit + Boosts” and “Non-GMO.
“The lawsuit claims that the [Naked Juice products] contain ingredients that are not “All Natural” and contain GMOs (or Genetically Modified Organisms),” reads the site.
Some products are made with genetically altered soy, the lawsuit alleges.
Are you surprised?
Their parent company is actually PepsiCo and they have refuted the claims made by the lawsuit, but they still paid out $9 million in a settlement. Why pay out if they could have substantiated their claims?
The thing is, ‘Naked Juice’ is not the first company to have been sued for falsely claiming that their products do more than they actually do.
‘Activia yogurt’ was sued in 2010 for their ‘health’ claims about their product, it was found that their yogurt was no different to any other yogurts and it cost the company $45 million dollars.
In 2011 ‘Reebok’ agreed to a $25 million settlement over their advertisement for their ‘Easytone’ and ‘RunTone’ products that promised to tone your legs and butt.
In 2013 ‘Sketchers’ were sued to the sum of $45 million for unfounded claims that their “Shape-Ups” could help people lose weight and strengthen and tone their buttocks, legs and abdominal muscles.
Just recently the weird looking, but hugely popular ‘Vibram 5 fingered shoes,’ (they look like feet) paid out $3.75 million for false claims of health benefits of their shoes.
What does this tell us?
Do you still think that such companies have your best interests at heart?
Or are we so easily swayed by great marketing that we blindly buy products based on buzzwords and catchy advertisements?
If you were one of the 70 million people who bought a pair of the $100 ‘Vibram’ shoes, you could be left with a sour taste in your mouth.
But does the company regret their costly advertisement claims?
I highly doubt it; after all they made over $700 million from their product and were only hit with $3.75 million of a law suit.
I can’t be sure, but I think they will be just fine after that.
The media has a huge influence on how we spend our money.
You may have noticed that if you ‘like’ a page on Facebook, you will get a suggestion list that pops up with pages of similar interest to the one you have liked.
What will also have happened with the page-like, is the advertisements that appear in the side bar will be for products that resemble what Facebook sees as your interests.
Social media is the fastest way for companies to gather information on what you like and do not like.
They can advertise directly to you and your interests at a fraction of the cost, instantaneously.
Companies glean information from social media sites and we freely give over all of our information without even knowing it.
Companies will always give fantastical claims for their products.
It allows them to generate huge amounts of income in short periods of time and when (eventually) they get drawn over the coals over their false claims, the punishment is usually only a fraction of the profits they have made.
When it comes to choosing products wisely in the health and fitness world, the best advice I can give you is this;
If it sounds too good to be true……..etc.
#TrainSmart
If you have any question on this article or for getting a tailored program to help you reach your weight loss/weight gain goals, please contact me through the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rushe-Personal-Training-and-Performance/120518884715118
* Emmet is the owner and operator of Rushe Personal Training and Performance
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