March 18, 2020 — A public health emergency can have an unfortunate side effect. With the coronavirus pandemic, pseudoscience, quackery, and fraud are emerging, too. Diets and supplements to “boost” your immune system are a common form of this fraud. Honestly, sometimes this sort of misinformation flies under the radar of normally discerning people. But we praise Dietitians of […]
July 23, 2016 — Once again, health claims for a well-known food brand are under fire. This time it’s Special K, a cereal brand that has long been sold with nutrition and health claims. The UK Advertising Standards Authority banned TV and web advertsing that included unsubstantiated health claims. The claims were pretty unremarkable. Special K was described as “nutritious” […]
February 13, 2016 — A new study in Obesity points out how difficult it can be to find an evidence-based weight management program. In a sample of 80 weight management programs in northern Virginia, eastern Maryland, and Washington, DC, Kimberly Gudzune and colleagues found that most of those programs flunk on five simple criteria used as hallmarks for evidence-based weight management […]
June 13, 2014 — No one could make this up. Dr. Mehmet Oz is scheduled to appear at a Senate hearing on weight loss scams next week. He certainly is an expert on the subject. On his popular medical advice show, in just five years Oz has promoted no fewer than 16 miracles for weight loss. The list includes such […]
January 5, 2014 — Bogus weight loss products and other dietary supplements — unfettered by regulatory approval for safety and efficacy — have been linked to a spike in liver injuries. And more trouble lies ahead for dietary supplement makers. On Tuesday the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will unveil a new effort to shut down deceptive advertising for bogus […]
February 8, 2013 — The folks behind POM Wonderful may be wishing they hadn’t appealed a 2012 ruling against deceptive health claims for their product. The Federal Trade Commission recently issued a final ruling, denied their appeal, and imposed a stricter standard than the original ruling. Ouch! In 2010 the Federal Trade Commission issued a complaint to POM Wonderful […]
January 3, 2013 — The Federal Trade Commission reports that spending on food ads targeted to youth has fallen from $2.1 billion in 2006 to $1.79 billion in 2009. FTC released these and other findings in a follow-up report on how food advertising to children has changed since the industry launched self-regulatory efforts. While overall spending decreased, spending for online, […]
December 9, 2012 — A number of developments in the works suggest that 2013 could be a pivotal year for childhood nutrition policy, with measures such as advertising curbs, taxes, or even bans in the spotlight. The Food Marketing Workgroup, a collection of advocacy organizations, started a chain of events in 2007 that are coming together now. Forbesrecently published […]
