FreeLife International, an American multi-level marketing company established in 1995 by Ray Faltinsky and Kevin Fournier,[citation needed] sold dietary supplements.[1] In 2017, it was acquired by Youngevity International Corporation.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Multi-level marketing |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Defunct | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Phoenix, Arizona |
Key people | Ray Faltinsky Kevin Fournier |
| Products | Himalayan Goji Juice |
History
editRay Faltinsky and Kevin Fournier were backed by a group of investors that included family, friends and Anson Beard, previously of Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter.[citation needed]
FreeLife includes operations in Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines,[2] Puerto Rico, Singapore,[3] Trinidad & Tobago, and the United States.[citation needed]
Over several years, the company's spokesperson Earl Mindell made claims of unfounded health benefits from consuming the company's goji juice product called "Himalayan Goji Juice", implicating anti-cancer and anti-aging properties.[4] Specifically in 2007, Mindell's statements were made during a hidden camera investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation whose reporter, Wendy Mesley, questioned the supposed anti-cancer properties of Himalayan Goji Juice.[5] During the same investigation, it was found that Mindell's Ph.D. qualification was in fact invalid,[5] as had been questioned a decade before.[6] Mindell's Ph.D. was supposedly conferred in 1985 by Pacific Western University, an unaccredited distance-learning institution with no campus. Authoritative databases of accredited US institutions exist at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation[7] and United States Department of Education;[8] neither lists Pacific Western University as of February 2007. It was proven by subsequent studies that Mindell's claims were unfounded and based only on preliminary laboratory research on cancer cell inhibition,[9][10] a finding that was never confirmed in other laboratory or human studies. As a result, FreeLife severed its relationship with Mindell in 2008, but was further associated with him as a codefendant in a 2009 legal case (below).[citation needed]
In 2008, a FreeLife-funded study conducted on its own employees found that the use of their goji products increased subjective feelings of well-being.[11] Questions on these findings were later raised due to poor study design and potential conflict of interest between FreeLife, the employed subjects used and the investigators who did the study.[12]
In 2017, Youngevity acquired Freelife and L'dara through the acquisition of Sorvana International company.[13]
Products and marketing
editAt first, FreeLife's product line consisted of supplements, shampoo and personal care products. In October 2003, FreeLife changed its product line to focus on a juice made from goji (Lycium barbarum) and sold under the product name Himalayan Goji Juice, and a newer product named GoChi.[14][15][16] The company and its goji juice were covered in the media around 2007-8 when the company's marketing messages were questioned.[5]
FreeLife products are sold through multi-level marketing to customers by independent salespeople who are paid commissions on their sales and the sales of their downline.[citation needed]
Burge et al. vs FreeLife
editOn May 29, 2009, a class action lawsuit was filed against FreeLife International, Inc. in the United States District Court of Arizona. This lawsuit alleged false claims, misrepresentations, false and deceptive advertising and other issues regarding FreeLife's Himalayan Goji Juice, GoChi, and TaiSlim products. This lawsuit sought remedies for consumers who have purchased these products in recent years.[17][18]
A settlement agreement was reached on April 28, 2010, where FreeLife will take steps to ensure that its goji products are not marketed as "unheated" or "raw", and made a contribution to an educational organization.[19][20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Freelife International Inc - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
- ^ Asia Pulse. (October 11, 2004) US Juice firm takes a foothold in the Philippines.
- ^ Rungfapaisarn, Kwanchai. (September 16, 2006) The Nation Health drink in direct-marketing debut. Archived 2007-11-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Oat, Brittany (July 14, 2006). "Goji: Health Elixir or Pricey Juice?". ABC News. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
- ^ a b c Wendy Mesley (January 27, 2007). "Getting Juiced". CBC Marketplace. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
- ^ Lowell James A. (June 1986). "An Irreverent Look at the Vitamin Bible and Its Author (Earl Mindell)". Quackwatch, Nutrition Forum.
- ^ "Council for Higher Education Accreditation". Archived from the original on 3 November 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- ^ USDE
- ^ Li G, Sepkovic DW, Bradlow HL, Telang NT, Wong GY (2009). "Lycium barbarum inhibits growth of estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer cells by favorably altering estradiol metabolism". Nutr Canc. 61 (3): 408–414. doi:10.1080/01635580802585952. PMID 19373615. S2CID 33542464.
- ^ Mao, F; Xiao, B; Jiang, Z; Zhao, J; Huang, X; Guo, J (2010). "Anticancer effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides on colon cancer cells involves G0/G1 phase arrest". Medical Oncology. 28 (1): 121–126. doi:10.1007/s12032-009-9415-5. PMID 20066520. S2CID 27891778.
- ^ Amagase H, Nance DM (May 2008). "A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study of the general effects of a standardized Lycium barbarum (Goji) Juice, GoChi". Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 14 (4): 403–12. doi:10.1089/acm.2008.0004. PMID 18447631.
- ^ Daniells, S (October 8, 2008). "Questions raised over Goji science". NutraIngredients-USA.com. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- ^ NewMediaWire (2017-06-19). "Youngevity Acquires FreeLife & L'dara Through Acquisition of Sorvana International". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). Retrieved 2023-04-25.
- ^ Weaver, Clair. (June 17, 2007). "Why goji is more fad than fact". Sunday Telegraph.
- ^ "GoChi Himalayan Goji Juice Media Man Australia". www.mediaman.com.au. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ "Goji: Health Benefits, Side Effects, Uses, Dose & Precautions". RxList. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ United States District Court for the District of Arizona (May 29, 2009). "Class action lawsuit against FreeLife International, Inc" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 1, 2010. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
- ^ Class-Action Suit Filed against FreeLife and Earl Mindel
- ^ Breathe.org and FreeLife Joint Statement
- ^ "FreeFacts.com - Page Error". Archived from the original on 2010-05-05. Retrieved 2010-04-28.