CRN Files FTC Complaint Against ConsumerLab.com 39339

CRN Files FTC Complaint Against ConsumerLab.com

WASHINGTONThe Council forResponsible Nutrition (CRN) filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) requesting the agency take enforcement action against ConsumerLab.com,alleging the company is engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices. CRNis requesting the agency force ConsumerLab.com to make a series of changesincluding making public all test results, regardless of whether companies paidmoney to ConsumerLab, identifying its contract labs and testing methodologies,and changing its business name.

Until now, nobody has looked behind the curtain and exposedConsumerLab.coms tactics, said Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., president of CRN(www.crnusa.org). It is a business, not a watchdogone that intimidatesmanufacturers to pay for its services.We ask FTC to lift the veil this companyuses to disguise its true nature.

CRN cited several examples of ConsumerLab.coms allegedlydeceptive business practices, including not disclosing the material fact that itrequires manufacturers to pay a fee for gaining positive or avoiding negativepublicity associated with testing products. According to the complaint,ConsumerLab only publicizes adverse test results from dietary supplementcompanies that do not pay for testing; companies that do pay and have productsthat fail to meet testing criteria do not have those results released. Further,the complaint noted positive test results are only publicized for free if thecompanies have paid for testing. In addition, CRN alleges the name ConsumerLabdeceptively suggests the company operates a laboratory. Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of ConsumerLab.com, issued aresponse to CRN and FTC, claiming the complaint is full of inaccuracies.

What ConsumerLab.com is and what it does is clearlyexplained on our Web site and in our book, and we do not violate any FTCregulations, he wrote. Cooperman said ConsumerLab.com publishes thefindings for all products it tests and uses outside laboratories to blind theproduct identities and use the most accurate methodologies. The reason we donot publicly disclose the names of these labs is because members of yourindustry have threatened several with loss of business, Cooperman added. Theresponse suggested CRN is shooting the messenger by casting doubts onConsumerLab.coms research and credibility, and requested CRN take immediatecorrective action.