BBB National Programs National Advertising Review Board Recommends ENERGYbits Discontinue Health-Related and Environmental Claims for ENERGYbits Spirulina Algae

New York, NY – December 20, 2019 – A panel of the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) has found that ENERGYbits Inc. (EBits) failed to provide proper and/or acceptable substantiation for health-related and environmental claims for the company’s ENERGYbits Spirulina Algae (Spirulina Tablets) and recommended that such claims be discontinued.  Spirulina Tablets are sold for consumption as a food and consist entirely of a single ingredient, spirulina algae. The NARB is the appellate unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation.

This proceeding was initiated by the National Advertising Division (NAD) as part of its routine monitoring program. NAD is an investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation.  NAD determined that the advertiser’s environmental claim “Want to repair the ozone layer? Eat our algae tabs!” was not properly supported. The NARB panel agreed with NAD’s determination and found that EBits environmental claim at best vastly overstates any possible environmental benefit and is not properly supported.   

With respect to EBits health-related claims that its product “helps improve mental focus,” “helps reduce brain fog,” “helps improve skin, hair, nails, bones, and eye health,” and “helps improve mood,” the NARB panel agreed with NAD’s conclusion that the only acceptable evidence would be well-controlled human clinical studies assessing Spirulina Tablets taken as recommended. The panel noted that the advertiser was unable to identify any such studies.  Thus, the panel concluded that the advertiser failed to provide proper and/or acceptable substantiation for such claims and recommended that they be discontinued.

EBits stated that it agrees to comply with NARB’s final recommendations.

Note: A recommendation by NAD or NARB to modify or discontinue a claim is not a finding of wrongdoing and an advertiser's voluntary discontinuance or modification of claims should not be construed as an admission of impropriety. It is the policy of NAD and NARB not to endorse any company, product, or service. Decisions finding that advertising claims have been substantiated should not be construed as endorsements.

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About the National Advertising Review Board (NARB): NARB is the appellate body for advertising industry self-regulation. NARB’s membership is composed of 87 professionals from three different categories: national advertisers (49 members), advertising agencies (26 members), and public members (12) made up of academics and former members of the public sector.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs (BBB NP) fosters trust, innovation, and competition in the marketplace through the development and delivery of cost-effective, third-party self-regulation, dispute resolution and other programs. The programs were formerly administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. BBB NP is the home of industry self-regulatory and dispute resolution programs that include the National Advertising Division (NAD), National Advertising Review Board (NARB), BBB EU Privacy Shield, BBB AUTO LINE, Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), Children’s Confection Advertising Initiative (CCAI), Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC), Digital Advertising Accountability Program (Accountability Program), and the Coalition for Better Advertising Dispute Resolution Program (CBA DRM). The programs are designed to resolve business issues and advance shared objectives by responding to marketplace concerns to create a better customer experience. To learn more about industry self-regulation, please visit: BBBNP.org.