The three little guys on Rice Krispies boxes are in trouble for claiming that their cereal supports the immune systems of children. The Federal Trade Commission announced on June 3 that Kellogg Co. had  agreed to pull back on health claims for the puffy cereal. In a statement, commission chairman Jon Leibowitz said, “We expect [...]

GUEST POST BY DAVID MARK The Washington Post recently published an article asserting that vitamin D is shaping up to be the nutrient of the year, if not the decade. The article started factually strong but weakened at the end when it made specific recommendations. The Post references an article in Consumer Reports titled “Most [...]

Marketers of nutritional supplements often complain that they do not know what the FDA wants. Even after the agency sends a warning letter about misleading claims and advertising, its staff does not explain what would fall within the rules. That’s the reality; the FDA will tell you what’s wrong, not what’s right. Through warning letters, [...]

The Federal Trade Commission provides advertising lessons in its proposed settlement with CVS to refund nearly $2.8 million to buyers of the retailer’s Air Shield dietary supplement. The drug store chain made cold-prevention claims for the product that were similar to those for competing products, Airborne and Germ Defense. Those product claims also ran afoul of the FTC and cost their companies.

We are not sure of the reason, but it seems that every three months or so, a national media outlet weighs in on an old story: tainted nutritional supplements. The latest is a rehash of anecdotes with the same question: Are vitamins safe? So goes the Sept. 7 article in the Wall Street Journal headlined, “What’s Really in Supplements?”

He was a professional athlete. He was minding his own business. And he took responsibility for his problem, even if he did not think he caused it. Was he a famous Amercian baseball, football or basketball star? No, he was a Swedish soccer player — and retired.