Santa Cruz Co. DA: Nutritional supplement makers made false claims

California prosecutors have reached a $750,000 settlement with three nutritional supplement companies.

The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office, as a member of the California Food, Drug and Medical Device Task Force, is part of a consumper protection settlement against True Health LLC, Health Resources LLC and VRP Manufacturing LLC.

The three companies manufacture a variety of nutritional supplements — including “ultimate colon care formula” and “ultimate vision formula” — which are marketed and sold online.

It’s against the law for nutritional supplement companies to make claims that their products will affect how the human body functions unless they can prove it. Prosecutors say these three companies made numerous claims they could not substantiate such as “Ultimate Colon Care Formula will remove layers of fecal matter from your colon” and “Ultimate Vision Formula and will reduce your risk of age-related eye problems.”

Under the settlement, the three companies are permanently barred from making any such claims without having reliable scientific evidence to substantiate the claims. They must provide restitution to all customers who purchased one of the above products and are dissatisfied with the results.

Once a customer receives notice from one of the above entities, they will have thirty days to respond and request a refund.