| Nutritional products generally market themselves | | | | because the supply of oranges to Britain dried up'. |
| based on what they contain and, even more so, on the | | | | In 2001, Ribena and Ribena Toothkind launched an ad |
| amounts of the various substances they contain. And | | | | campaign with the phrase, 'Rich in Vitamin C, Rich in |
| its probably a safe bet to assume that, for the most | | | | Memories', and went live on both TV and in Press |
| part, the average citizen simply accepts these claims | | | | communications. |
| at face value. After all, why would a company that | | | | In 2004, Devathasan and Suo executed their school |
| sells nutrition products make a false claim? "Somewhat | | | | experiment and contacted GlaxoSmithKline, as well as |
| false" we naturally tend to assume, of course. But | | | | the Commerce Commission, to report their findings. |
| blatantly false claims from well known and established | | | | Although they received no response from the |
| companies? This is a hypothetical that we tend to rule | | | | British-based pharmaceuticals and healthcare |
| out as we walk down the aisle of a heath food store | | | | company, prosecutors brought charges against |
| or wander about in the vitamin section of a large | | | | GlaxoSmithKline this month in an Auckland court. |
| retailer. | | | | Headquartered in the UK and with operations based in |
| Unfortunately, as one case so clearly demonstrates, | | | | the US, GlaxoSmithKline is one of the industry leaders, |
| nutritional claims from food and drink companies may | | | | with an estimated seven percent of the world's |
| not always be legitimate. | | | | pharmaceutical market. They market products such as |
| In a recent example that puts our trust in such things to | | | | the smoking replacement Nicorette, Aquafresh |
| a test, high school students Anna Devathasan and | | | | toothpaste, paracetamol-based pain reliever Panadol, |
| Jenny Suo, age 17, did an experiment three years ago | | | | and state on their website that Ribena is a 'nutritional |
| with their favorite soft drink, Ribena, and found that | | | | healthcare drink'. |
| although Ribena's claim to fame was having 'four times | | | | The company has admitted that they misled |
| the vitamin C of oranges', there was no measurable | | | | consumers about the content of vitamin c, a popular |
| amount of vitamin C to be found. | | | | antioxidant substance, in Ribena. The Australian |
| Ribena is the fourth biggest drinks brand in the UK and | | | | Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has |
| is sold in over 20 countries. A product of global | | | | requested that GSK change their package labeling to |
| pharmaceutical giant, GlaxoSmithKline, Ribena was | | | | remove all references to vitamin C and to inform |
| created in the 1930's. The makers claim on their | | | | customers, via notices in retail outlets, of their |
| website that in the 1940's the product was 'rationed | | | | misleading information. |
| during WW2 as a vitamin C supplement for children | | | | |