The Government is Cracking Down on the Hoodia Weight Loss Industry

Hoodia diet pills have become one of the most popular supplements in the weight loss industry. It all started back in the early 2000's when the BBC and 60 Minutes featured the hoodia gordonii plant as an effective appetite suppressant. Shortly after the media exposure, hoodia supplements hit the market with a bang and the noise hasn't died down since.

Hoodia diet pills have become so popular and are so prelevant in the weight loss industry that even the government is taking notice now. As some of you may know, the FTC announced on January 4, 2007 that they recovered $25 million to settle allegations of deceptive marketing in the area of weight loss against four companies.

The company that is of the most interest to all hoodia sellers is TrimSpa. Their advertising boasted that their product contained hoodia and was responsible for appetite suppression and dramatic weight loss results. Anna Nicole Smith was their spokesperson and was the model in their ads. Consumers were led to believe that her dramatic weight loss was the result of TrimSpa's product, which contained hoodia. The FTC charged that the ads were deceptive and misleading. TrimSpa settled with the FTC for $1.5 million.

A hoodia insider that I spoke with says that this is only the beginning of the government's interest in hoodia supplements and companies that sell them. According to this insider, the FTC has a significant interest in the hoodia market. The FTC is actively investigating and has a specific interest in the authenticity of the hoodia ingredients used in products, and the substantiation for claims made by companies that sell and market hoodia supplements in terms of what their products can do for appetite suppression and weight loss.

The FTC, according to this insider, doesn't feel there is substantiated proof that hoodia gordonii is an appetite suppressant or a weight loss product. Even "testimonials" are viewed by the FTC as "hear say." The FTC is not trying to remove hoodia as a product, but rather the claims and/or inference that hoodia gordonii is associated with weight loss.