The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC) of BBB National Programs opened a compliance inquiry to review advertising communicated by Root Wellness LLC that had been the subject of an inquiry from 2021. In this compliance inquiry, DSSRC identified four claims challenged in the 2021 inquiry that are still publicly accessible, as well as 29 new health-related claims, among other issues.
As noted in previous DSSRC cases, health-related claims must be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence, as defined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In the 2021 inquiry, DSSRC recommended that the unsubstantiated claims, made by Root Wellness salesforce members, be discontinued. At the time, Root Wellness contended that the claims had been removed from circulation.
In identifying these claims, which appeared in social media posts and are still publicly accessible, DSSRC also reviewed new health-related claims similar to those made in the 2021 inquiry, including claims that Root Wellness’ products can treat several serious health-related conditions such as shingles, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, certain cancers, gout, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and others.
Though Root Wellness has again claimed that the social media posts from the 2021 inquiry as well as the 29 new posts have been or will be taken down, they have not provided any evidence of their efforts to have the salesforce members responsible for the claims remove them from circulation, such as copies of correspondence asking them to remove the posts from social media.
If Root Wellness does not remove the claims from circulation or provide evidence of a good faith effort to remove the claims within a reasonable period of time, DSSRC will refer this matter to the appropriate government agency. In addition, DSSRC will continue to monitor claims made by Root Wellness and its salesforce.
