E-DRUG: Herbalife (3)
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Dear Eva Ombaka,
In reply to your request for information about Herbalife-products I have
summarised a Belgian consumer research. Not only in Eastern Africa
Herbalife is aggressively promoted, also in the CCEE/NIS, and other
parts of the world, Herbalife is extremely successful in selling its
products. To know more about Herbalife itself check its Web-site:
http://www.herbalife.com.
The only consumers research into the Herbalife products I know about
was published in a Belgian consumer magazine in 1994. It contains quite
relevant and helpful data against Herbalife.
Reference: Test Aankoop Magazine nr. 369, September 1994, pages 46-48.
Herbalife, duur drijfzand. Een piramide van beloften. [Herbalife,
expensive quicksand. A pyramid of promises]).
The text is in Dutch, unfortunately. I have translated the most
essential parts of the text.
Data, results and conclusions of the Belgian consumers research about
Herbalife:
Description of Herbalife:
Herbalife is an American enterprise, founded in 1980 by Mark Hughes,
producing a number of dietary products: e.g. a replaceable meal in
powder-form and several pills.
Promotion of Herbalife:
The whole package is being promoted as the best sustainable method to
become thin.
In reality:
In reality the range of these products are nothing more than an alibi to
construct a world-wide sales system with immense turn-over.
Marketing:
The sale-system of Herbalife is exclusively through informal contacts:
the so-called multi-level marketing, or, maybe better said:
piramide-selling.
Explanation of the marketing system:
The product is offered to you by somebody you know, or you are invited
to come to Herbalife-meetings. The way to make money is to sell as many
Herbalife-products as you can yourself. The best way to sell as many
Herbalife-products is to ask other people to sell the products for you.
In this way the chain is formed. The higher your position in the chain
is the more money you make. But ... of course only a few people are the
real-money makers.
The product:
The contents of the Herbalife-powder: an overdose of vitamins and
minerals, and some proteins, fibres and sugars. Nothing revolutionary!
The pills contain vitamins and other supplements.
Costs:
Costs in Belgium: at least 2400 francs (1994) (appr. US$ 90,-) for a
package of five products. Monthly costs appr. 6000 francs (=appr. US$
200,-); So it is expensive to be hungry!
Effects?
Does Herbalife help in losing weight? Not in a sustainable way! In the
beginning some weight is lost (which is the case in most of the 1000
calories diets: who eats little looses weight!), and a general loss of
energy and activity is experienced. The chance that a longer-term loss
of weight is established in very small.
Danger?
Is Herbalife dangerous? Because this way of loosing weight is quite
heavy (only 1000 calories per day) it should only happen under doctors'
surveillance (Belgium situation). The pills have no value whatsoever,
they only contain -useless- vitamins (spending the money on fruit seems
more advisable!).
The danger is in the method of selling: at Herbalife-gatherings people
come telling that Herbalife saved them from life-threatening diseases,
and this is told to you by somebody you know and trust. Who is fooled?
In order to make money in the Herbalife-business you have to find other
people who sell the product for you, otherwise you will never make
money.
Aggressive marketing:
The marketing of Herbalife is however very aggressive. In convincing
people to use Herbalife Herbalife-users use all kinds of arguments:
including those that Herbalife helps against artrosis, high blood
pressure, astmas, skin problems, diabetes, cancer etc. These people even
have documents available.
Other inaccuracies:
- no contra-indications for children whatsoever; such a diet can be very
dangerous for children
- no contra-indications for people with kidney diseases, liver- and
stomach-diseases
- Herbalife provides information that health workers recommend the use
of Herbalife. This is simply not true (at least not here in Western
Europe: the product is not sold in the pharmacy, or grocery-store)
- Herbalife claims to alter eating habits. This is not true: eating
habits are not changed by powder-diets.
Greetings from Amsterdam,
Mark Raijmakers
Coordinator Pharmaceuticals Programme
Wemos Foundation