Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council Recommends Juice Plus+ Discontinue Certain Earnings and Health-Related Product Claims

McLean, VA – May 23, 2023 – The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC) of BBB National Programs recommended that Juice Plus+ modify or discontinue certain earnings and health-related product performance claims. These claims were made by Juice Plus+, a direct selling company that sells fruit and vegetable juice extract supplements, as well as by Juice Plus+ salesforce members. 

This inquiry was brought to DSSRC by a non-governmental advocacy group (NGO). The NGO contended that Juice Plus+ and its salesforce members overstated the efficacy of Juice Plus+ products as well as the amount of income that can be generally expected by salesforce members participating in the business opportunity. In addition, the NGO was concerned that some of the ads communicated claims that Juice Plus+ products can protect against serious health-related conditions.  

Juice Plus+ participated in the DSSRC process in good faith and was responsive to the requests of DSSRC, immediately removing or modifying more than 70 of the 112 social media posts identified in the inquiry.  

Still of concern to DSSRC are social media posts that are still available to the public.

• Five of the remaining posts referenced the Juice Plus+ Health Start Study, communicating that children taking Juice Plus+ visited the doctor less, missed fewer days of school, took fewer over-the-counter or prescription drugs and consumed less fast food/prescription drugs. DSSRC determined that the Juice Plus+ Health Start Study was not the type of competent, reliable scientific evidence required for such claims and recommended that the claims be discontinued in the context in which they were communicated. 
• Several of the remaining posts referenced qualifying language indicating that using Juice Plus+ “may” result in or can “help” with specific health-related benefits (dental health, cardiovascular health, cognitive functioning, DNA support, reduced inflammation, improved hair and skin, immune system support, and lung functioning). Though Juice Plus+ provided a body of research indicating that certain benefits are conferred when Juice Plus+ products are used as a supplement to other changes in an individual’s health profile, DSSRC recommended that Juice Plus+ modify its advertising to ensure that reasonable consumers will not take away the message that Juice Plus+ alone can confer those benefits. 
• For the long-form videos shared on Juice Plus+ TV, which include doctors making broad health claims related to use of the product, DSSRC determined that they may conflate certain health-related messages and that claims communicated in the videos are not supported by evidence in the record. DSSRC recommended that Juice Plus+ remove these videos or redact the portions of the video that make reference to the unsupported claims.  

DSSRC recommends, going forward, that Juice Plus+ and its salesforce members use caution when presenting health-related claims and general health information. 

DSSRC appreciates Juice Plus+ for its responsiveness, prompt attention to addressing many of the posts at issue in the inquiry, as well as their ongoing efforts to remove or modify the rest of the claims from circulation.  

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.