NEW YORK—Acai may be a superfood, but it doesn’t make you invincible, as two Internet marketers are discovering. AP reported the Better Business Bureau (BBB) issued a warning to consumers to beware of the marketing tactics used by Central Coast Nutraceuticals Inc. and FX Supplements, in selling their acai products. Said Steve Cox, a BBB spokesman: “BBB can’t speak to the restorative or weight loss properties of acai-based products, but we are taking companies to task for their misleading sales and marketing practices.”
Reportedly, consumers were enrolled in ongoing club and auto-ship programs through the use of “negative option marketing.” Also at issue are the companies’ use of celebs who have touted the benefits of acai—such as Oprah and Rachael Ray—but not specifically the products sold by the companies.
In addition to BBB, the state of Arizona is investigating Phoenix-based Central Coast, filing a lawsuit in late December alleging violation of the state’s Consumer Fraud Act.