FTC Rules POM Health Claims In Ads Were Misleading
After two years of fighting it out over POM's advertisements, the FTC has issued its final ruling on whether the drink's misled the public with its health claims that the drink could "treat, prevent, or reduce the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction." The answer? Yes, its claims were deceiving.
Reuters reports that the FTC upheld its earlier ruling of the same sentiment; now, the FTC has given the orders to POM that they can't make any health claims in ads, unless the claims were backed up by two randomized human trials.
Of course, POM still plans to fight back on the decision, saying in a statement that in order to prove certain health claims, the FTC "would require food companies to conduct double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in order to talk about potential health benefits of fruits and vegetables." POM also noted that the company spent more than $35 million to back up its original health claims. Should we expect some more "suck it, FTC" ads in the future, POM?