Acai’s Demise
It seems like every few years we discover another fruit that has native people in much better health than our population, and we think that if we can only just introduce this berry into our diet than we will be cured from all our problems. This was the philosophy behind the sudden introduction of the acai berry into all of our juices, supplements, and even frozen yogurts.
Soon after its “discovery” in the lush forests of Brazil, this small, round, black-purple drupe was touted as a miracle drug that could cure everything from obesity to cancer. This immediately started a media craze and it seemed like anything that didn’t have acai in it was not going to be beneficial for you at all. However, the truth behind acai has slowly been trickling out.
In 2004, the multi-level marketing company MonaVie started selling an acai blend tonic for $40 a bottle and misusing celebrity names like Oprah Winfrey and Rachael Ray to promote the online sales of acai. All the claims about acai’s high levels of antioxidants, as well as the slew of various health benefits, were all proliferated without one shred of scientific confirmation.
But not only did an entire nation get duped into dousing their frozen dessert in acai syrup, but a lot of us also got our credit taken advantage of. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, thousands of consumers had problems with recurrent charges on their credit cards when they tried to cancel their free trials of acai-based products. There were even some websites that warned against acai-related scams and then turned out to be the same scams.
As of right now, there are multiple lawsuits underway against MonaVie, both for falsifying health claims, and slandering the names and reputations of certain celebrities.