Nestle's Sugar Water for Kids Doesn't Prevent Colds, Despite What Ads Say
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Nestlé (NESN) got off with a slap on the wrist from the FTC over disgraceful advertising for its Boost Kids Essentials drink which claimed it could prevent colds and diarrhea via a "probiotic straw." Three out of the first four ingredients in the drink are sugar, yet Nestle continues to advertise the drink with the tagline "The Taste They Love, the Nutrition They Need." (At least the first half of that sentence is accurate.)Nonetheless, the settlement does contain a provision that will interest food and diet supplement brand managers (and their lawyers): It requires Nestlé to get the FDA's advance approval if it wants to make any further claims about Boost preventing lung infections. As the health food and diet supplement industry's profit rely on the FDA not regulating their often unproven claims, companies in those categories might regard the Nestlé settlement as the camel getting its nose under the tent. The FTC said:
The ads falsely claimed that BOOST Kid Essentials is clinically shown to reduce illness in children, to protect from colds and flu by strengthening the immune system, and to help children up to age 13 recover more quickly from diarrhea, the FTC charged.You can see a TV commercial featuring the "probiotic straw" here.
When Boost was launched, the Fooducate blog did some cursory investigating and found:
Nestle Consumer Services stated that an 8 fl oz (1 cup) serving contains 24 grams of sugars. That's the equivalent of FIVE TABLESPOONS of sugar!Here's a complete list of Nestlé's "clinical" claims for its magic-sugar-water-with-a-straw-in-it: And yet all the FTC requires Nestle to do as punishment is not make these claims again.
Health foods and diet supplements are not regulated by the FDA due to an insane loophole in the law. The fact that Nestlé must now submit to the FDA's authority is a tiny step to close that hole.
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