Judge: POM Wonderful Claims To Treat, Prevent Serious Diseases Violated Federal Law
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A judge is agreeing with the Federal Trade Commission that POM Wonderful is not as wonderful as they claim.
In an initial decision announced Monday, Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell agreed with an FTC complaint that POM Wonderful, LLC violated federal law with deceptive claims that its pomegranate juice and POMx supplements would treat, prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction.
Chappell issued an order barring POM from making any further representation about the "health benefits, performance or efficacy" of its products, unless the representation is not misleading and the company possesses "competent and reliable scientific evidence...to substantiate that the representation is true," according to a release from the FTC.
POM's claims "pertained to serious diseases and dysfunction of the body, including cancer," according to the FTC. The FTC says POM's advertisements claimed drinking eight ounces of POM Juice daily, taking one POMx pill daily and/or taking one teaspoon of POMx Liquid daily treats, prevents or reduces the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer and/or erectile dysfunction, and/or is clinically provent to do so.
The FTC filed its initial complaint against POM in September 2010.
