Sunday, November 18, 2007
European Juice Plus Brochure Reveals Product’s Contents
A document posted online at the site of a European Juice Plus distributor discloses key details, previously unavailable to American consumers, about the contents of Juice Plus capsules. The JPRB was forwarded an Internet link to a Juice Plus promotional brochure published by National Safety Associates Limited (based in Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, and the UK). The company's official PDF document[1] reveals that Juice Plus capsules contain a variety of synthetic vitamin additives and non-nutritive fillers and only about 25% juice powders by weight. For the purpose of scientific discussion and in keeping with fair use policies, we have reproduced the labels as shown in the brochure.
Figure 1 (Click on images for full size versions. Ingredients are listed in descending order by amount)--Ingredients in Juice Plus Orchard Blend (upper panel) and Garden Blend (lower panel) capsules marketed in Europe by National Safety Associates Ltd. The labels identify various synthetic vitamin additives including vitamin C (as ascorbic acid), vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopherol succinate), niacin (as nicotinamide), beta-carotene, vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine hydrochloride), coenzyme Q, riboflavin, thiamin (as hydrochloride), and folacin (as folic acid). Mineral additives include zinc, manganese, selenium, and chromium. Other constituents include gelatine, anticaking agents such as calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, guar gum as a thickening agent, algae (Dunaliella salina), and orange peel (the third listed ingredient by amount). The products contain only 26.3% to 26.8% fruit juice powder by weight.
1. Juice Plus contains synthetic vitamin additives and very low amounts of juice powders
The European labels indicate that that many exogenous vitamins are added to the products. Notably, these additives are not natural source vitamins but rather purified chemical forms, such as d-alpha tocopherol succinate, nicotinamide, beta-carotene, pyridoxine hydrochloride, coenzyme Q, thiamin hydrochloride, and folic acid.
2. Is European Juice Plus the same product as Juice Plus in the U.S.?
The nutrient information listed for Juice Plus Orchard and Garden Blend in Europe differs substantially from the label information in the U.S -- the U.S ingredient list does not mention vitamin and mineral additives, anticaking agents, thickening agents, or the amount of juice powder (see Wikipedia[2]). The discrepancy indicates that either (a) the product marketed in Europe is substantially different from the version marketed in the U.S. or (b) the product composition is the same in both regional markets, and the U.S. labels simply include less information about the ingredients. The inconsistencies between the European and U.S. labels raise a variety of critical questions about the product.
3. Research invalidated?
The possibility that the U.S. and European versions of Juice Plus do in fact have different compositions raises serious issues about the product's expected effects and the validity of past research. If these are different products, then consumers in the U.S. and Europe cannot expect the same results with their respective versions of Juice Plus. It also would greatly complicate the interpretation of research. Was the U.S. version used for some studies and the European version in others? If so, then the results are not comparable. Several published studies were conducted by investigators outside of the U.S. (e.g. two studies in Italy, one in the UK, one in Australia). Several more company-sponsored studies now in progress are being performed by investigators overseas. None of the published studies provided complete descriptions of the product's contents, making it impossible to determine which versions of Juice Plus were studied.
3. Are U.S. consumers being deceived?
It is possible that the product composition is identical in the U.S. and Europe and that the differences in labeling are attributable to the more stringent standards of European regulations. If they are the same products, then U.S. consumers are being misled. They are told that Juice Plus capsules are an all-natural, whole-food product, containing only fruit and vegetables, when in fact it contains only one-quarter juice powder and a variety of synthetic vitamin additives.
4. A poor supplement with poor value?
The nutrient composition listed in European Juice Plus labels indicates that, compared with a multivitamin, the product contains a relatively narrow range of nutrients, most of which appear to be synthetic, and the juice powder content is insignificantly low. Given the obvious similarities and possible inferiority of Juice Plus relative to conventional multivitamins, there is no apparent justification for their vast difference in price (Juice Plus has a daily cost of $1.37 in the U.S. vs. 5-10 cents for a good quality generic multivitamin).
References
Figure 1 (Click on images for full size versions. Ingredients are listed in descending order by amount)--Ingredients in Juice Plus Orchard Blend (upper panel) and Garden Blend (lower panel) capsules marketed in Europe by National Safety Associates Ltd. The labels identify various synthetic vitamin additives including vitamin C (as ascorbic acid), vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopherol succinate), niacin (as nicotinamide), beta-carotene, vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine hydrochloride), coenzyme Q, riboflavin, thiamin (as hydrochloride), and folacin (as folic acid). Mineral additives include zinc, manganese, selenium, and chromium. Other constituents include gelatine, anticaking agents such as calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, guar gum as a thickening agent, algae (Dunaliella salina), and orange peel (the third listed ingredient by amount). The products contain only 26.3% to 26.8% fruit juice powder by weight.1. Juice Plus contains synthetic vitamin additives and very low amounts of juice powders
The European labels indicate that that many exogenous vitamins are added to the products. Notably, these additives are not natural source vitamins but rather purified chemical forms, such as d-alpha tocopherol succinate, nicotinamide, beta-carotene, pyridoxine hydrochloride, coenzyme Q, thiamin hydrochloride, and folic acid.
2. Is European Juice Plus the same product as Juice Plus in the U.S.?
The nutrient information listed for Juice Plus Orchard and Garden Blend in Europe differs substantially from the label information in the U.S -- the U.S ingredient list does not mention vitamin and mineral additives, anticaking agents, thickening agents, or the amount of juice powder (see Wikipedia[2]). The discrepancy indicates that either (a) the product marketed in Europe is substantially different from the version marketed in the U.S. or (b) the product composition is the same in both regional markets, and the U.S. labels simply include less information about the ingredients. The inconsistencies between the European and U.S. labels raise a variety of critical questions about the product.
3. Research invalidated?
The possibility that the U.S. and European versions of Juice Plus do in fact have different compositions raises serious issues about the product's expected effects and the validity of past research. If these are different products, then consumers in the U.S. and Europe cannot expect the same results with their respective versions of Juice Plus. It also would greatly complicate the interpretation of research. Was the U.S. version used for some studies and the European version in others? If so, then the results are not comparable. Several published studies were conducted by investigators outside of the U.S. (e.g. two studies in Italy, one in the UK, one in Australia). Several more company-sponsored studies now in progress are being performed by investigators overseas. None of the published studies provided complete descriptions of the product's contents, making it impossible to determine which versions of Juice Plus were studied.
3. Are U.S. consumers being deceived?
It is possible that the product composition is identical in the U.S. and Europe and that the differences in labeling are attributable to the more stringent standards of European regulations. If they are the same products, then U.S. consumers are being misled. They are told that Juice Plus capsules are an all-natural, whole-food product, containing only fruit and vegetables, when in fact it contains only one-quarter juice powder and a variety of synthetic vitamin additives.
4. A poor supplement with poor value?
The nutrient composition listed in European Juice Plus labels indicates that, compared with a multivitamin, the product contains a relatively narrow range of nutrients, most of which appear to be synthetic, and the juice powder content is insignificantly low. Given the obvious similarities and possible inferiority of Juice Plus relative to conventional multivitamins, there is no apparent justification for their vast difference in price (Juice Plus has a daily cost of $1.37 in the U.S. vs. 5-10 cents for a good quality generic multivitamin).
References
- Science & Juice Plus: The Scientific Research. National Safety Associates Ltd (IR, BE, NL, UK). July 25, 2005.
- Juice Plus. Wkipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice_Plus
Readers Respond: How To Report Illegal Disease Treatment and Prevention Claims
From Name Witheld At User's Request (November 6, 2007)
I love your site!!! My brother’s wife is a Juice Plus distributor. She makes me loathe family get togethers because she just never shuts up about Juice Plus. She is a brainwashed idiot – she used to work as a receptionist at a gym and knows absolutely nothing about nutrition, but now she thinks she’s an expert because she read a few Juice Plus brochures and went to some of the company’s “training” seminars. She tells stories about how a friend of a friend cured this disease or that disease with Juice Plus and nobody on it ever gets sick. I’ve heard her telling people, including my friends and family, that they should get off medications their doctor prescribed and take Juice Plus instead. It makes me furious and I’m worried she’s going to end up hurting somebody, or worse. I tried talking to her about it and I’ve even shown her some of the criticism of Juice Plus that I found on the Internet but she just shrugs it off and keeps repeating phrases from the brochures
Is it actually illegal for her to promote Juice Plus for preventing diseases? I found several websites where other Juice Plus distributors are making these kinds of claims. I can’t rat out my sister-in-law to the authorities because it would cause a rift in my family, but I would love to report some of the other bastards who are saying that it can cure cancer etc. Who should I report them to and what kind of details do they need? Is it the FDA, FTC, BBB, etc.? Do I have to give my name to file a report? I don’t want my brother or his wife to hear about this. Thanks…you are doing a great job! Keep it up.
Reply From the JPRB
Sadly, that’s an all too familiar story, as you may have noticed from some of our articles and the comments of other reader’s who have responded here.
In answer to your questions:
I love your site!!! My brother’s wife is a Juice Plus distributor. She makes me loathe family get togethers because she just never shuts up about Juice Plus. She is a brainwashed idiot – she used to work as a receptionist at a gym and knows absolutely nothing about nutrition, but now she thinks she’s an expert because she read a few Juice Plus brochures and went to some of the company’s “training” seminars. She tells stories about how a friend of a friend cured this disease or that disease with Juice Plus and nobody on it ever gets sick. I’ve heard her telling people, including my friends and family, that they should get off medications their doctor prescribed and take Juice Plus instead. It makes me furious and I’m worried she’s going to end up hurting somebody, or worse. I tried talking to her about it and I’ve even shown her some of the criticism of Juice Plus that I found on the Internet but she just shrugs it off and keeps repeating phrases from the brochures
Is it actually illegal for her to promote Juice Plus for preventing diseases? I found several websites where other Juice Plus distributors are making these kinds of claims. I can’t rat out my sister-in-law to the authorities because it would cause a rift in my family, but I would love to report some of the other bastards who are saying that it can cure cancer etc. Who should I report them to and what kind of details do they need? Is it the FDA, FTC, BBB, etc.? Do I have to give my name to file a report? I don’t want my brother or his wife to hear about this. Thanks…you are doing a great job! Keep it up.
Reply From the JPRB
Sadly, that’s an all too familiar story, as you may have noticed from some of our articles and the comments of other reader’s who have responded here.
In answer to your questions:
- Implicit or explicit claims that Juice Plus can prevent, treat, cure, or mitigate the symptoms of any disease are illegal according to the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. Marketing Juice Plus for such purposes means that it is being illegally promoted as a new drug in violation of section 201(g)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act) [21 U.S.C. § 321(g)(1)] and section 201(p) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 321(p)].
- Suspected violations of the Act can and should be reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They have a very convenient online reporting form[1] or you can phone a regional complaint coordinator.[2] It only takes a few minutes to file a complaint online and any personal information provided to the FDA is considered strictly confidential.
- Identify the product as the dietary supplement Juice Plus and include in your report a quote of the offending statements (any implicit or explicit disease cure/prevention/treatment claims) and mention that the statement violates the sections of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act mentioned above. Include the URL of the webpage where the statement was found and the name and address of the distributor/website owner, if available. Provide a URL to the distributor's Juice Plus sales website if it is linked anywhere on the offending website. Statements from bulletin boards and chat rooms may be difficult to investigate but they should be reported if linked to a specific distributor’s webpage. Don’t bother reporting anything from anonymous sources. Sites with prohibited claims that are registered to or clearly identified with a particular individual(s) are easier for the FDA to investigate. If you aren’t sure who a site is registered to, you can find the site's IP and contact information by searching the URL at Network Solutions,[3] although sometimes this will just list an administrative contact for the host web service provider, rather than the identity of the person who actually operates the website. If the adverisment lists a distributor's phone number, it can often be traced to the subscriber's name and/or address using White Page's reverse phone search.[4]
References
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Reporting Unlawful Sales of Medical Products on the Internet. http://www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline/buyonlineform.htm
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Consumer Complaint Coordinators. http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html
- Network Solutions Whois Search. http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp
- White Pages Reverse Phone Search. http://www.whitepages.com/reverse-lookup
