TINA.org Renews Effort on Deceptively Marketed Supplement

A European advertising authority, prompted by a recent complaint by TINA.org about the deceptive advertising of a dietary supplement aimed at children with speech delays, has ruled that marketing for the product cannot claim that the product improves speech.

The Civil da Autodisciplina da Publicidade of Portugal (ICAP) ruled that SpeechNutrients speak™ (“Speak”) can’t be marketed by Portugal-based ANEID Pharmaceutical Products as patented because there is no patent for the formula, that the supplement is a medication, and the company can’t advertise that it can improve speech because the claim is “unproven, misleading [and] abuses the consumers’ lack of knowledge and experience.”

In March, TINA.org notified Speak’s U.S. marketer, NourishLife, which is based in Illinois, that it was filing complaints with federal and state regulators and the BBB about its deceptive marketing practices.

The BBB, which previously gave NourishLife an A+, is now reevaluating its rating of the company. This week TINA.org filed a second round of letters with the FDA, FTC and Illinois Attorney General alerting them to the Portugal ruling and urging them to take action to protect U.S. consumers.

For more on TINA.org’s investigation and efforts to stop the deceptive marketing of Speak click here.

If you believe that you had been deceived by the marketing of Speak you can contact TINA.org here.