Hoodia Company Reaches Settlement for Not Delivering on Labeled Content

Ten California counties have reached a settlement prohibiting two companies and two individuals from selling Hoodia gordonii dietary supplements that do not contain their labeled hoodia amounts.

GeoPharma Inc. (which last year filed for bankruptcy) and its subsidiary Engineered Nutrition Inc., along with company principals Mihir Taneja and Carol Dore-Falcone, are banned from selling in California their products DEX-L10, Hoodia Gordonii DEX-L10, DEX-L10 Complete, and Hoodia Gordonii DEX-L10 Complete, or any other hoodia supplements that do not meet labeled content. The settlement was reached with the California County District Attorney’s Offices of Santa Cruz, Napa, Alameda, Marin, Monterey, Orange, Santa Clara, Shasta, Solano, and Sonoma.  

Hoodia products, which prosecutors say rose to prominence in the mainstream market after November 2004, has seen some controversy since. Sought for alleged appetite-suppressing effects, hoodia products reached high demand, caused supply-related price increases, and as a result, some products, including DEX-L10 and DEX-L10, have been found to contain less-expensive, substituted material instead of hoodia. Additionally, some state that more research must be done to conclusively determine any weight-management benefits.

Nutritional Outlook thanks AHPA for the tip.