Juice Plus+ Garden Blend
Juice Plus+ Orchard & Garden Blend
Nutritional value per 2 capsules (1.5g)
Energy21 kJ (5.0 kcal)
1 g
Sugars<1 g
Dietary fiber<1 g
<1 g
VitaminsQuantity
%DV†
Vitamin A as
beta-Carotene
140%
7000 IU
Folate (B9)
70%
280 μg
Vitamin C
51%
42 mg
Vitamin E
80%
24 IU
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
4%
40 mg
Sodium
1%
10 mg
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA FoodData Central

Juice Plus is a branded line of dietary supplements. It is produced by Natural Alternatives International of San Marcos, California, for National Safety Associates (NSA; Collierville, Tennessee). Introduced in 1993,[1] the supplements are distributed by NSA via multi-level marketing. Juice Plus supplements contain fruit and vegetable juice extracts with added vitamins and nutrients.

There is no good evidence that Juice Plus offers health benefits. Many marketing claims made about Juice Plus products are false or misleading.[2][3]

History

Foundation and early marketing

National Safety Associates was founded in 1970 by Jay Martin, a schoolteacher-turned-entrepreneur, who continued as CEO as of 2012.[4] NSA initially sold home fire-protection equipment via door-to-door salespeople. In the late 1970s, they expanded into water filtration products. In 1986, they began using multi-level marketing,[5] then expanding their product line to air filters and educational games for pre-schoolers.[6] In 1991, it was claimed that their sales structure constituted a ponzi scheme.[7]

In 1993, the United States Attorney General's office followed up on complaints that the company was deceptively requiring new distributors to make large upfront purchases of air and water filters. Each of the 32,000 distributors in Florida purchased an average of $7,000 worth of water filters, and many of these distributors were unable to sell all of them. The company's business in the United States decreased that year, requiring the layoff of dozens of employees.[8]

NSA later expanded its business outside the United States, and according to the company, was selling products in 33 countries as of 2000.[9] NSA stopped manufacturing and marketing its water filter product line in 2007.

Supplement products

Juice Plus was NSA's first product, launched in 1993. The primary products in the Juice Plus line include "Orchard Blend" (a fruit juice powder-based supplement) and "Garden Blend" (vegetable juice powder-based) capsules, which are sold together in a four-month pack at a cost of approximately US$167 (2009). Other supplement products available in the Juice Plus line as of 2011 included Vineyard Blend (grape/berry juice powder-based) capsules, Juice Plus Complete (meal replacement powder), Juice Plus Chewables (Orchard and Garden Blends), and Juice Plus Chewables (Vineyard Blend).[10] Discontinued products include Juice Plus Gummies, Juice Plus Thins (wafers), chewable tablets,[11] and a vitamin formulation for dogs and cats.[12]

Manufacturing

Juice Plus+ pills

The main ingredients in Juice Plus Orchard Blend and Garden Blend capsules (vegetable and fruit juices) are reduced to powder through a proprietary process by an unrelated supplier,[13] and then blended and encapsulated by NAI, who produce the finished product. Juice Plus capsules are "enriched with pure β-carotene, ascorbic acid, vitamin E, and folic acid".[14] Two NAI-sponsored studies [15] mention that the fruit and vegetable powders in Juice Plus include standardized levels of natural β-carotene derived from Dunaliella salina and soy-derived d-α-tocopherol (vitamin E), which are supplied by the Henkel Corporation (now doing business as Cognis Corporation),[16][17] and ascorbic acid derived from acerola cherry, which is supplied by Schweizerhall Pharma.[18]

ConsumerLab product testing

Juice Plus+ Garden Blend was tested by ConsumerLab.com in their Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplements Review of 38 of the leading multivitamin/multimineral products sold in the U.S. and Canada. Testing included amounts of selected index elements, their ability to disintegrate in solution per United States Pharmacopeia guidelines, lead contamination threshold set in California Proposition 65, and meeting U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeling requirements.[19]

Garden Blend failed ConsumerLab's test as it contained only 76.4% of its claimed calcium, which was noted was low to start (labeled as just 4% of the Daily Value per serving.) On 23 June 2011, ConsumerLab was informed of misinformation circulated by a Juice Plus distributor incorrectly stating the variation was due to the analytical method used. ConsumerLab responded that their analytic method used was ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry), a "highly precise and sensitive method of testing calcium". ConsumerLab also noted that the calcium deficiency in Juice Plus was confirmed with this method in two independent laboratories prior to publication of their Review.[20]

Sales

Juice Plus products are marketed by individual distributors who receive sales commissions ranging from 6% (for enrolling five customers in 30 days) to 14% (for enrolling 20 customers in 30 days).[21] Detailed sales figures for Juice Plus are not publicly available, but NSA representatives claimed that Juice Plus achieved monthly sales of $6 million in 1993[22] and that it was the company's most successful new product.[23] According to NSA vice-president John Blair, sales of Juice Plus in 2008 were "approaching 300 million but have leveled off due to economic factors."[24]

Product research

Doubts have been raised about the advertised benefits of Juice Plus by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, University of California Berkeley, Center for Science in the Public Interest, and other sources.[1][3][14][25][26][27][28][29] The product has been criticized on the basis that: its marketing is unsupported by research data, it contains too little fruit and vegetable powder to offer significant clinical benefits,[26] its effects can be attributed to the inclusion of added exogenous vitamins and micronutrients, and it is excessively priced relative to its potential benefits.[1][2][3][25][28][30] Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Clinic referred to Juice Plus as a "pricey supplement" that is "distributed through a multi-tiered marketing scheme with exaggerated value and cost."[25]

Nutrients and phytochemicals

Concerns have been raised that the nutrients in Juice Plus+ capsules may not be bioavailable or effectively absorbed by the human body, and that some of the nutrients claimed to be in the products may not be present in significant amounts.[14] Studies on nutrient absorption showed that subjects taking Juice Plus had elevated blood levels of folate and β-carotene,[31][32] but the effects on blood levels of vitamin E and vitamin C were inconsistent. Some studies have shown significant increases in vitamin E[15][31] and C levels,[15][31] while other studies have shown much weaker effects on vitamin E and C levels, and that the levels of vitamin E[32] and vitamin C[32] are not significantly increased. Juice Plus was found to increase blood lycopene levels in several studies,[15] while other studies have indicated that Juice Plus does not raise blood levels of lycopene[32] or other phytochemicals in fresh fruits and vegetables such as lutein,[32] zeaxanthin,[32] and β-cryptoxanthin.[32][33]

Conflicts of interest in studies

In a critique of Juice Plus,[1] consumer health advocate and alternative medicine critic Stephen Barrett of MLM Watch remarked upon the previous association between two authors of a 1996 Juice Plus research study [15] and United Sciences of America, Inc. (USAI), a multilevel marketing company that sold vitamin supplements with illegal claims that they could prevent many diseases.[34][35][36][37][38][39] In 1986, lead author John A. Wise, who later co-authored several other Juice Plus research studies,[31][32][33] was USAI's Executive Vice-president of Research and Development; and second author Robert J. Morin was a scientific advisor who helped design the products. State and federal enforcement actions[34][35][36][37][38][39] drove USAI out of business in 1987.[34][36][39] Wise became a consultant to Natural Alternatives International (NAI) in 1987 and a company executive (vice-president of Research and Development) in 1992. Barrett noted that Wise was also an NAI shareholder and that production of Juice Plus for National Safety Associates (NSA) was responsible for 16% of NAIs sales in 1999.

NSAs Juice Plus website cites various research articles in support of the company's marketing claims about the biological effects of Juice Plus, maintaining that these "studies were conducted by independent researchers" at various universities.[40] Several of the studies were co-authored by Wise[15][32][33][41] and Morin.[15][41]

Advertising violations

In 2019, companies trading under the Juice Plus brand name in Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom were levied a €1 million penalty by Italy's Competition and Market Authority (AGCM) for deceptive marketing practices in breach of European Union advertising law. The AGCM cited evidence that the companies were posting fake user testimonials alleging that the products could help with weight loss and disease treatment. The parties involved had previously been the subject of an investigation on the Italian television program Patti Chiari that looked into the sales tactics used by distributors to market the products, and which revealed the use of secret Facebook groups where distributors were posing as satisfied customers.[42][43][44]

In February 2020, the company that markets Juice Plus in Australia was hit with a $37,800 penalty by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) subsequent to the issuance of three infringement notices relating to the promotion of Juice Plus vitamin products for medical conditions, and to the use of endorsements by health professionals, in violation of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code.[45]

In June 2020, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a warning letter to the Juice Plus Company for making unlawful claims that the company's products could treat or prevent COVID-19, as well as misleading claims that business opportunity participants were likely to earn substantial income.[46]

O. J. Simpson

University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter[26] and MLMWatch[1] commented on the unreliability of Juice Plus testimonials provided by former professional athlete O. J. Simpson. Simpson, known commonly as "O. J." and "The Juice",[47] signed a multi-year six-figure contract with NSA in January 1994 and became an official celebrity endorser of Juice Plus. In March 1994, Simpson was videotaped telling 4,000 Juice Plus distributors at a sales meeting that the product had cured his arthritis, improved his golf game, and freed him from using anti-arthritic drugs.[1][48][49][50] However, regarding the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman, for which Simpson was tried and acquitted, Simpson claimed in his defence that he was too incapacitated by arthritis to have committed the murders[1][26] and had continued to take the anti-inflammatory drug sulfasalazine.[1][51][52][53][54] As a result of the controversy surrounding Simpson, NSA cancelled his endorsement contract and stopped using the Simpson videotape to promote Juice Plus.[25][26]

Juice Plus Children's Research Foundation

The Juice Plus Children's Research Foundation (JPCRF),[55] founded in 1997, is a non-profit medical research organization (NTEE code H99).[56] Its stated goal is to promote better health in children. The foundation is chaired by executives of National Safety Associates and operates from the company's head office in Collierville, Tennessee. In fiscal year 2007, the majority of funds donated to the foundation were disbursed to Volunteers of America (a faith-based social welfare organization) and to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Memphis.[57]

The Foundation's website shows results of an ongoing customer survey (The Juice Plus Children's Health Study) which suggests a link between Juice Plus consumption and a general improvement in diet and lifestyle habits. The University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter and Stephen Barrett of MLM Watch questioned the survey's scientific value, and claimed that the Foundation is being used mainly as a marketing gimmick to get families to buy Juice Plus products.[2][58] Barrett's organization Quackwatch includes the JPCRF among its list of "Questionable 'Research' Entities".[59]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Barrett, Stephen. "Juice Plus: A Critical Look". MLM Watch. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 "Juice Up and Dried Out". University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2005. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 Maruyama, Fudeko T.; Mary P. Clarke (January 1995). "Juice Plus, Food or Supplement". Kansas State University, Dept. of Human Nutrition. Archived from the original on February 6, 2006. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  4. ↑ Partial company history as of 2012 (archived 2013-10-13)
  5. ↑ Walsh, James (2009). You Can't Cheat an Honest Man: How Ponzi Schemes and Pyramid Frauds Work and Why They're More Common Than Ever. Silver Lake Publishing. pp. 186–7. ISBN 9781563431692.
  6. ↑ "Marketing—education is NSA's new game". The Commercial Appeal. June 30, 1991.
  7. ↑ Grady, Bill; Goozner, Merrill; O`Brien, John (February 19, 1991). "Case Could Drain A Marketing Pool". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  8. ↑ Campbell, Laurel (August 31, 1993). "NSA returns to marketing focus, trims Memphis staff". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis.
  9. ↑ "Business notes". Jefferson City News-Tribune. November 26, 2000.
  10. ↑ "Other Juice Plus+® Products". juiceplus.com. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Other Juice Plus+® Products". juiceplus.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2005. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Juice Plus+® for Dogs/Juice Plus+® for Cats" (PDF). nsaonline.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  13. ↑ "NSA International, Inc. Form 10-K (7/30/1996)". sec.edgar-online.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  14. 1 2 3 Watzl B, Bub A (November 2003). "Fruit and vegetable concentrate or vitamin supplement?". The Journal of Nutrition. 133 (11): 3725, author reply 3726. doi:10.1093/jn/133.11.3725. PMID 14608104.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wise JA, Morin RJ, Sanderson R, Blum K (1996). "Changes in plasma carotenoid, alpha-tocopherol, and lipid peroxide levels in response to supplementation with concentrated fruit and vegetable extracts: A pilot study". Curr Ther Res. 57 (6): 445–461. doi:10.1016/S0011-393X(96)80053-1.
  16. ↑ "Welcome to Cognis". Cognis. Archived from the original on August 20, 2007. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Yahoo Finance: Cognis Corporation Company Profile". biz.yahoo.com. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
  18. ↑ "Schweizerhall Pharma homepage". Schweizerhall Pharma. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  19. ↑ "ConsumerLab Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplements Review - Testing Method". June 15, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  20. ↑ "ConsumerLab Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplements Review - Main Review". June 15, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2011.(subscription required)
  21. ↑ "NSA Inc. Company Profile". biz.yahoo.com. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  22. ↑ Green, Frank (February 22, 1995). "O.J. plug is a plus. The prosecution mentions Juice Plus, and sales are up". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  23. ↑ Riggs, Rod (June 19, 1993). "Olympics may mean gold for San Marcos firm". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  24. ↑ "MLM company reports sales of Juice Plus+". NutritionalBusinessJournal.com. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Juice Plus". Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. November 27, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 "Juice Plus—and minus" (PDF). University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved October 15, 2006.
  27. ↑ Goodwin, Kathy. "Dietary supplements: facts about Juice Plus". The Diet Channel. Archived from the original on November 20, 2006. Retrieved October 15, 2006.
  28. 1 2 Stanton R (2000). "Nutrition: who can you believe?" (PDF). The Skeptic. 20 (4): 23–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 9, 2012.
  29. ↑ "The minuses of Juice Plus". Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter. 24 (6): S1, 4. 2006. ISSN 1526-0143.
  30. ↑ Schontz, Lori (January 15, 2007). "Nutritional shortcut bypasses benefits of eating the real thing". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Kiefer I, Prock P, Lawrence C, et al. (June 2004). "Supplementation with mixed fruit and vegetable juice concentrates increased serum antioxidants and folate in healthy adults". Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 23 (3): 205–11. doi:10.1080/07315724.2004.10719362. PMID 15190044. S2CID 41881983. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013.
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Smith MJ, Inserra PF, Watson RR, Wise JA, O'Neill KL (1999). "Supplementation with fruit and vegetable extracts may decrease DNA damage in the peripheral lymphocytes of an elderly population". Nutr Res. 19 (10): 1507–1518. doi:10.1016/S0271-5317(99)00107-4.
  33. 1 2 3 Inserra PF, Jiang S, Solkoff D, Lee J, Zhang Z, Xu M, Hesslink R, Wise J, Watson RR (1999). "Immune function in elderly smokers and nonsmokers improves during supplementation with fruit and vegetable extracts". Integr Med. 2 (1): 3–10. doi:10.1016/S1096-2190(99)00010-4.
  34. 1 2 3 Barrett, Stephen. "The Rise and Fall of United Sciences of America". MLM Watch. Retrieved July 27, 2007.
  35. 1 2 Stare, F.J. (1986). "Marketing a nutritional "revolutionary breakthrough". Trading on names". N Engl J Med. 315 (15): 971–973. doi:10.1056/NEJM198610093151518. PMID 3762604.
  36. 1 2 3 Young, E.A.; Schenker, S.; Weser, E. (1987). "United Sciences of America, Incorporated: an "optimal" diet?". Ann Intern Med. 107 (1): 101–3. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-107-1-101. PMID 3592422.
  37. 1 2 Renner, J.H. (1986). "Science or scam?". N Engl J Med. 315 (15): 971. doi:10.1056/NEJM198610093151517. PMID 3762603.
  38. 1 2 Holden, C. (1986). "Scientists get flak over marketing plan". Science. 234 (4780): 1063–1064. Bibcode:1986Sci...234.1063H. doi:10.1126/science.3775374. PMID 3775374.
  39. 1 2 3 "USA: The strange rise and fall of one MLM". Money (June 1). 1987.
  40. ↑ "Results of Juice Plus Clinical Research". National Safety Associates. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  41. 1 2 Wise JA, Kaats GR, Preuss HG, Morin RJ (2009). "β-Carotene and α-tocopherol in healthy overweight adults; depletion kinetics are correlated with adiposity". Int J Food Sci Nutr. 60 (s3): 65–75. doi:10.1080/09637480902852553. PMID 19391032. S2CID 28262943.
  42. ↑ Scozzari, Carlotta (April 16, 2019). "Juice Plus, 1 milione di multa dall'Antitrust per i venditori di diete miracolose che si fingevano consumatori su Facebook". Business Insider Italia. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  43. ↑ "Juice Plus+, multa milionaria per pratica commerciale scorretta". Radiotelevisione svizzera. April 16, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  44. ↑ Chu, Will (April 25, 2019). "Juice Plus + fined €1m for illegal supplement selling on 'secret' Facebook groups". Nutraingredients.com. William Reed Business Media. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  45. ↑ "Multi-level marketing company fined $37,800 for alleged advertising breaches". Therapeutic Goods Administration. February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  46. ↑ "Warning Regarding Health and Earnings Claims Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)" (PDF). US Federal Trade Commission. June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  47. ↑ University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law: O.J.Simpson biography Archived August 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  48. ↑ Friedman, Roger (November 21, 2006). "If O.J. Simpson did it, this is how". Fox News. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  49. ↑ Deutsch, Linda (July 19, 1995). "Simpson exercise video shown in murder trial. Defendant jokes about punching wives". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  50. ↑ "Simpson said capsules killed his arthritis pain". San Jose Mercury News. February 17, 1995. pp. 15A. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  51. ↑ Morrison, Patt (September 14, 2007). "Book review: After 'yuck,' the farce of O. J. Simpson's book -- 'If I Did It' reads like a self-absorbed counseling session". LA Times. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  52. ↑ Friedman, Roger (June 3, 2004). "O.J. defense doctor: 'some guilty people are set free'". Fox News. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  53. ↑ "Partial transcript of Simpson civil trial (Regina D. Chavez official reporter)". CNN. October 24, 1995. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  54. ↑ "Simpson civil trial transcript (Regina D. Chavez official reporter)". CNN. January 6, 1997. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  55. ↑ "Juice Plus Children's Research Foundation homepage". National Safety Associates. Archived from the original on April 9, 2000. Retrieved October 15, 2006.
  56. ↑ "Juice Plus Children's Research Foundation". Guidestar.org. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
  57. ↑ "IRS990 2008: Juice Plus Children's Research Foundation" (PDF). Internal Revenue Service. March 6, 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2011.(registration required)
  58. ↑ Barrett, Stephen. "Questionable Research by the Juice Plus Children's Research Foundation". MLM Watch. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
  59. ↑ Barrett, Stephen. "Questionable Organizations: An Overview". QuackWatch. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
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