Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council Recommends Healy World Discontinue Health-Related Product Performance Claims
McLean, VA – October 19, 2023 – The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC) of BBB National Programs has recommended that Healy World, a direct selling company that markets health and wellness products, discontinue certain health-related product performance claims made on social media by its salesforce members.
DSSRC is an independent national advertising self-regulation program that monitors advertising and marketing claims in the direct selling industry. At issue in this case are social media product performance claims indicating that Healy World products can treat a series of health-related conditions, such as fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, autoimmune disease, migraines, and more.
DSSRC expressed its concern that such claims not only require substantiation, but in the case of health-related claims, that substantiation must come in the form of competent and reliable scientific evidence.
Healy World did not attempt to substantiate the 11 claims that were challenged and DSSRC appreciated the prompt, good faith efforts of Healy World to remove six of the challenged social media posts.
For the remaining challenged posts, DSSRC recommended that Healy World contact the individuals who disseminated the claims to request that they be taken down. Healthy World should also take additional steps to remove the claims from the marketplace, such as utilizing any mechanism that social media platforms may have for removal of trademark or copyright violations. If there is no reporting mechanism on the platform, DSSRC recommends that Healy World contact the platform in writing and request removal of the claim or post or post a comment on the applicable social media platform indicating that the post is not authorized by the company.
If those individuals are active salesforce members and are unresponsive to Healy World’s request, DSSRC recommends that Healy World take appropriate disciplinary action, including termination.
All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of DSSRC decisions, visit the DSSRC Cases and Closures webpage.
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