A Herbalife distributor in West Delhi, India, claimed the company's herbal tea mix could suppress lung cancer, halt colorectal cancer, and cause prostate cancer cells to commit suicide. These assertions, made on Facebook, stand in stark contrast to the modest product descriptions found on Herbalife's official website.
Herbalife's corporate site promotes its herbal tea mixes as a "refreshing and tasty alternative" to coffee and soda, offering a "natural energy lift" for fatigue caused by stress. It notes these claims are not evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The West Delhi distributor, however, gave the product far more potent attributes, listing nine reasons to drink the concentrate.
Another Indian distributor's LinkedIn profile, which was deleted after CNBC contacted Herbalife for comment, listed an array of health conditions the nutritional food helped control. This included acidity, asthma, blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, and thyroid issues. It also mentioned knee pain, back pain, body weakness, women's health, metabolism, and child's physical and mental growth.
Such claims echo past issues in US markets, where numerous multi-level marketing companies faced penalties and shutdowns for similar medical promises. India's Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) has a public awareness campaign, "Jago Gharak Jago," which warns consumers about misleading advertisements and false promises.
The Federal Trade Commission in the United States has clear jurisdiction over product claims like "Herbalife's products can cure cancer." The extent of DoCA's investigation into such affiliate marketing claims remains less defined.
The "Jago Gharak Jago" campaign specifically advises the public to be aware of "misleading advertisements" and "false misleading ad promises."