POM Wonderful Lawsuit Finds Health Benefit Claims Are Misleading
POM Juice exaggerated the health benefits of drinking their juice, a court has ruled. The POM Wonderful Company has been ordered to stop making health claims in absence of "competent and reliable scientific evidence," according to the judgment.
The case, brought by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, brought new information on marketing strategies to light. The POM Wonderful group claimed that its pomegranate juice helped with prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction and heart disease.
Judge D. Michael Chappell stated in the ruling: "The basic research relied upon by Respondents (POM Wonderful) and the Forest/Padma-Nathan Study support the conclusion that pomegranate juice as a beneficial effect on erectile tissue physiology, health and function. The evidence relied upon by Respondents also supports the conclusion that pomegranate juice is a potential treatment for erectile dysfunction."
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The POM Wonderful company, however, is taking the court's ruling as a win, and will "continue to promote health benefits of our safe, food products without having our advertisements, marketing or public relations efforts preapproved," said Craig Cooper, the company's legal officer.
"POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice has always been marketed to consumers in an honest manner, backed by scientific research," President Stewart A. Resnick said in a statement on the company's website. "We have always believed in the power of the pomegranate are pleased that we will be able to continue to showcase the fantastic health benefits inherent in this wonderful fruit."
In an ironic twist, POM Wonderful brought a suit against Minute Maid, claiming that their Pomegranate-Blueberry juice was using false marketing, claiming that the juice provided large amounts of pomegranate, when in reality it only contained 0.3 percent pomegranate juice.
"We're not whining here," the POM company says on its website. "POM welcomes fair competition. But if certain competitors are allowed to cheat- by misrepresenting the very nature of their products- it makes it difficult for honest players to succeed. When our POM Wonderful labels say 'pomegranate,' we really mean it."
The POM Wonderful company can appeal the court's ruling, though it appears they might not since they are touting its ruling on its own website, calling it a "win" for the company.
