01.01.04
On December 9th, FTC unveiled its “Red Flag” education campaign to assist media outlets voluntarily to screen out weight loss product ads containing claims that are too good to be true. The announcement is the culmination of a workshop held on November 19, 2002, in addition to meetings with trade associations and individual media outlets over the last year. To support the voluntary initiative, the FTC released a media reference guide entitled “Red Flag: Bogus Weight Loss Claims.” The media reference guide builds upon FTC’s staff report, “Deception in Weight-Loss Advertising Workshop: Seizing Opportunities and Building Partnerships to Stop Weight-Loss Fraud,” which was also released on December 9th. The staff report provides an overview and analysis of the workshop discussion and relevant public comments.
The centerpiece of the FTC campaign is educational guidance to the media that identifies seven common weight loss claims made for products available over-the-counter, including nonprescription drugs, dietary supplements, creams, wraps, devices, and patches, which are scientifically infeasible at the current time. These claims include:
• Causes weight loss of two pounds or more a week for a month, or more without dieting or exercise;
• Causes substantial weight loss, no matter what or how much the consumer eats;
• Causes permanent weight loss (even when the consumer stops using the product);
• Blocks the absorption of fat or calories to enable consumers to lose substantial weight;
• Safely enables consumers to lose more than three pounds per week for more than four weeks;
• Causes substantial weight loss for all users; and
• Causes substantial weight loss by wearing it on the body or rubbing it into the skin.
The centerpiece of the FTC campaign is educational guidance to the media that identifies seven common weight loss claims made for products available over-the-counter, including nonprescription drugs, dietary supplements, creams, wraps, devices, and patches, which are scientifically infeasible at the current time. These claims include:
• Causes weight loss of two pounds or more a week for a month, or more without dieting or exercise;
• Causes substantial weight loss, no matter what or how much the consumer eats;
• Causes permanent weight loss (even when the consumer stops using the product);
• Blocks the absorption of fat or calories to enable consumers to lose substantial weight;
• Safely enables consumers to lose more than three pounds per week for more than four weeks;
• Causes substantial weight loss for all users; and
• Causes substantial weight loss by wearing it on the body or rubbing it into the skin.