NAD Recommends Motherlove Herbal Company Discontinue Certain Claims for ‘More Milk Plus,’ Finds Company Can Support Limited ‘Best-Selling’ Claim

New York, NY – July 21, 2015 – The National Advertising Division has recommended that Motherlove Herbal Company discontinue claims that the company’s “More Milk Plus” dietary supplement is an “effective herbal formula designed to quickly increase breast milk for breastfeeding mothers.” NAD determined, however, that the advertiser established a reasonable basis for the claim that More Milk Plus is “Motherlove’s best selling herbal lactation formula.”

NAD is an investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation. It is administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

Claims made by Motherlove at the company website and in print advertising came to the attention of NAD through NAD’s routine monitoring. Express claims at issue in this inquiry included:

• “Motherlove’s best selling herbal lactation formula. A safe and effective herbal formula designed to quickly increase breast milk for breastfeeding mothers.”
• “Best selling breastfeeding supplement in the U.S.”
• “Fenugreek is a highly recommended herb to quickly increase breast milk supply.”

NAD also examined claims made in testimonials, including:

• “I had already noticed a difference, now after a week of using it, I have more than doubled my supply!”
• “Within 24 hours I was full of milk, really overflowing . . . I was so happy and surprised.”
• “Within 3 days of taking More Milk Plus he stayed latched on longer, and I had a whole day’s worth of bottles in the fridge the night before he needed them.”
• “Within a day or two, I noticed and felt a significant change in milk flow.”

NAD noted in its decision that the advertiser provided numerous reference articles and monographs on the product’s ingredients and properties, but did not provide evidence of testing on the actual product.

NAD next reviewed the evidence on the individual ingredients contained in the More Milk Plus proprietary blend: Fenugreek seed, Blessed Thistle herb, Nettle herb, and Fennel seed. NAD determined there was insufficient evidence in the record that Blessed Thistle herb, Fennel seed, and Nettle herb, in the dosage in which they are used in More Milk Plus, will have an effect on milk supply.
With regard to Fenugreek, NAD noted that amount of Fenugreek in the daily dose of More Milk Plus is less than the dosage amount found to be efficacious in the studies cited by the Canada’s Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate monograph on Fenugreek – which the advertiser relied on to support its ingredient efficacy claims.

Following its review of the evidence in the record, NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue its claim that More Milk Plus is an “effective herbal formula designed to quickly increase breast milk for breastfeeding mothers” as well as its consumer testimonials regarding the performance benefits of More Milk Plus.

Given the lack of evidence that the dosage of Fenugreek in the product provides any therapeutic benefit, NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue its claim that “Fenugreek is a highly recommended herb to quickly increase breast milk supply.”

Finally, NAD determined that the advertiser established a reasonable basis for the claim that More Milk Plus is “Motherlove’s best selling herbal lactation formula.”

The company, in its advertiser’s statement, said it disagrees with “some of NAD’s conclusions regarding the evidence underlying express and testimonial performance claims for More Milk Plus.” However, the company said, it does “support the self-regulatory process and will take the NAD’s conclusions and recommendations into account.”