A maker of a line of Disney and Marvel Heroes-licensed children’s vitamins has agreed to settle a federal case alleging it made false claims about the products, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
The vitamins feature characters such as the Disney princesses, Winnie the Pooh, Finding Nemo and Spider-Man, the FTC said in a news release today. They are sold at retailers such as CVS Pharmacy, Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, Kroger, Kmart and Rite Aid, as well as online, the FTC said.
The maker claimed the products contained 100 milligrams of DHA, an Omega-3 fatty acid the company said promoted healthy brain and eye development in children. In fact, the FTC said, the vitamins had only a trace of DHA.
The manufacturer, NBTY, and two subsidiaries, NatureSmart and Rexall Sundown, must stop misrepresenting the amount of DHA in its product and stop misrepresenting that any ingredient, including DHA, “promotes brain or eye health or provides any other health benefit, unless the claim is true and backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence.” the release stated.
The manufacturer also will refund $2.1 million to provide refunds to consumers. The FTC will administer the refunds, the release stated.
Consumers may comment on the proposed settlement through Jan. 14. Copies of the complaint, the proposed consent agreement, and an analysis of the agreement to aid in public comment are at www.ftc.gov and the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20580.