GOOPED

Feds Warn Big Pharma, Goop, and Hundreds Others to Back up Health Claims

These notices allow the FTC to seek penalties of $50,000 per violation if the companies are found to have engaged in deceptive marketing.

The Federal Trade Commission sent notices of penalty offenses to 670 companies that market drugs, supplements, and other health products, and it’s a who’s who of institutional and questionable science. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and flat-tummy tea maker Teami—as well as pharmaceutical giants like GSK, Bayer, and Pfizer—were all placed on notice that they could face over $50,000 per violation if they fail to back up health or safety claims with “competent and reliable scientific evidence,” according to an FTC press release. The notices do not mean that a company has engaged in deceptive or unfair conduct; however, the agency can seek civil penalties against companies that have received a notice. That’s not an empty threat: Last year, Kohl’s and Walmart paid millions of dollars each for deceptive environmental claims after being sent notices of penalty offenses.