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Acai Berry Scams: The Dark Side of Online
Marketing
 The Acai palm is
a class of palm tree in the ‘Euterpe’ genre
cultured for their crop and greater hearts of
palm from the Brazilian rain forests. Global
requirements for the crop has stretched swiftly
in recent times, and acai is now refined for
that reason principally. The acai berry is
reaped as a food source and regarded as a
pivotal plant species due to the fruit being a
major element of their diet, by up to 42% food
intake according to weight. In more recent
times, the acai berry has been manufactured as a
dietary supplement, with Companies disseminating
acai berry products in the form of pills,
concentrated juice, yoghurts, instant drink
beverages, smoothies or eaten whole.
Health
Benefit Claims
Producers of acai
berries have started to make unproven
declarations that this fruit possesses an array
of health benefits, due to is ‘vast’ antioxidant
properties – a claim unsubstantiated by any
known scientific studies. What little known
facts written do say that acai berries have only
tolerable amounts of antioxidants, less than
found in other fruits like black cherries,
blueberries and the Concord grape. More
disturbingly so, the scope to which polyphenols
acts as nutritional antioxidants is at best,
uncertain. In conclusion, there is no specific
scientific deduction that the acai berry can
help with significant weight loss. Acai berries
have been claimed to reverse diabetic effects
and other serious ailments. Certain preposterous
claims have also included penis enlargement and
amplifying sexual performance and stamina.
Health benefits
connected to acai berries are still unfounded as
of March 2009. Acai berry products have not been
approved by the FDA, and their potency is highly
questionable. Back in 2008, lawyers for the
Oprah Winfrey Show began scrutinizing assumed
reports from supplement produces who hinted that
recurrent Oprah guest, Dr Oz had suggested acai
berries as suitable for weight loss programs. As
it turned out, neither Oprah nor Dr. Oz has
never endorsed any acai berry products for
weight loss and as dietary supplements.
Data given out by
the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
in Washington D.C. stated that there are many
unsuspecting consumers who have had major
problems from halting recurrent credit charges
even after eliminating free trials of using acai
berry products. The situation worsens when
websites giving out ‘warnings’ about acai-related
scams are the ones who are the real culprits.
The Internet
Influence on Acai Berries Scams
The public is
constantly advocated to be suspicious of signing
up for acai berries free trial products. Many
Companies, using their websites, propagate acai
berries as miracle cures and would offer
customers very attractive free trials. These
errant websites will proceed via aggressive
marketing to lure customers, make premature
charges on credit cards and at the end of the
day, products were not sent on time. To add
insult to the injury, the products are almost
impossible to terminate. For many who seek to
lose weight and falling for ‘miracle’ cures, the
acai berry products have turned out to be their
worst nightmare. Instead of losing weight, they
end up losing money.
There are no
miracle cures from the Brazilian rain forests
that can make obesity disappear into oblivion.
Irresponsible websites will end up charging
exorbitantly for a product which delivers dismal
results. Many claims were based on urban
legends, conventional therapy and blatant lies.
Some websites even have the audacity to put up
false celebrity claims to lend more credence to
their acai berry products. These acai berry
scams are so rampant through fake blogs. Law
enforcement is doing their best to bring these
perpetrators to justice, but until then,
consumers have to be careful and not fall for
these acai berry scams.
References:
- "Consumers
Warned of Web-Based Açai Scams", Center for Science in
the Public Interest, March 23, 2009
- "Madigan
Files Lawsuits Against Acai Berry Companies", Illinois
Attorney General, August 19, 2009
- "Attorney
General Announces Acai Berry Investigation Involving
Improper Credit Card Charges, Weight Loss Claims",
Connecticut Attorney General's Office, March 23, 2009
- Susan Donaldson James, 'Superfood'
Acai May Not Be Worth Price, ABC News, Dec 12, 2008
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This
page was last modified on:
December 11, 2011
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