NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Nationwide Promoting Division (NAD) of BBB Nationwide Applications has referred promoting claims made by Merely Gum Inc. to the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) for assessment. Merely Gum Inc. declined to take part within the trade self-regulation course of. Because of the advertiser’s failure to take part, NAD has referred promoting claims to the FTC.
The claims at subject, which appeared on the web and on product packaging, had been challenged by Perfetti Van Melle USA and included:
- “All Pure and Plastic Free”
- “Pure”
- “Nothing Artificial”
- “Most chewing gums use plastic of their gum base. We use a biodegradable tree sap referred to as CHICLE.”
- “Do you know that almost all different chewing gum is manufactured from plastic base? Not ours! We use pure and biodegradable tree sap as an alternative, making our gum not solely higher for you but in addition to your setting.”
- “Plastic Free. Typical gums listing “Gum Base” as an ingredient – that is code for plastic. As a substitute of plastic, we use chicle, a sustainable tree sap that we supply from Central America.”
- “Artificial Free. Listed here are among the artificial stuff that’s in standard gum: polyisobutylene, polyvinyl acetate, and butylated hydroxytoluene. You will not discover any of those substances – or any synthetics – in our gum.”
- “We by no means use something synthetic – no aspartame, no plastic, and no synthetics.”
- “Components: Pure Chicle Base (chicle, candelilla wax, citric acid)”
- “In contrast to standard gum, which incorporates hidden plastic and synthetic components, we solely use pure components, that are crafted into the very best high quality gum available on the market.”
- “Our scrumptious Ginger gum incorporates the entire zest of recent ginger and not one of the plastic or synthetics present in standard gum. As a result of we do not use plastic, our gum is biodegradable and higher to your physique and planet.”
- “Easier, Higher”
- “The place standard gum manufacturers use hidden plastic and synthetic components, we use chicle, which comes from the sap of a tree. Meaning our gum is just not solely higher to your physique, it is also biodegradable and higher for the planet.”
- “If you happen to see the time period “Gum Base” written on the again of your pack of gum, that is code for as much as 46 totally different chemical substances together with the plastic utilized in white glue, automobile tires and plastic water bottles. We do not like chewing on plastic, so we use tree sap (chicle) as the bottom of our gum as an alternative!”
- “Our gum is brown and has a textured look as a result of we do not use any synthetic colours or coatings. The colour and texture you see comes from the chicle (tree sap) base in addition to our natural cane sugar.”
- “We make each effort to safe the very best high quality and most premium components for our gum, and whereas a lot of the components in our gum are licensed natural, the chicle we use as the bottom of our gum is barely out there as a wild-harvested product.”
- “In contrast to most chewing gum which incorporates plastic in its gum base, our gum is biodegradable.”
Perfetti additionally challenged implied claims that:
- Common gum is manufactured from plastic utilized in making white glue, automobile tires, and plastic water bottles and due to this fact, stuffed with chemical substances, equivalent to phthalates, and thus unhealthy.
- Merely Gum is best, more healthy, and safer than common chewing gum.
In lieu of submitting a response to NAD, the advertiser elected to not take part within the promoting trade self-regulatory course of. Thus, NAD has referred the matter to the FTC for assessment and potential enforcement motion.
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About BBB Nationwide Applications: BBB Nationwide Applications is the place companies flip to reinforce client belief and customers are heard. The non-profit group creates a fairer taking part in subject for companies and a greater expertise for customers by means of the event and supply of efficient third-party accountability and dispute decision packages. Embracing its function as an unbiased group because the restructuring of the Council of Higher Enterprise Bureaus in June 2019, BBB Nationwide Applications at present oversees greater than a dozen main nationwide trade self-regulation packages, and continues to evolve its work and develop its influence by offering enterprise steerage and fostering finest practices in arenas equivalent to promoting, child-directed advertising, and privateness. To study extra, go to bbbprograms.org.
In regards to the Nationwide Promoting Division: The Nationwide Promoting Division (NAD) of BBB Nationwide Applications supplies unbiased self-regulation and dispute decision providers, guiding the truthfulness of promoting throughout the U.S. NAD opinions nationwide promoting in all media and its choices set constant requirements for promoting reality and accuracy, delivering significant safety to customers and leveling the taking part in subject for enterprise.
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