Name ban for 'slimming' product

Cape Town - A company has been banned from using the name "Supreme Slim" for one of its products, after a consumer activist complained there was no evidence that it had any slimming effect.

In a ruling released on Thursday, the Advertising Standards Authority also rejected the claim by Wellness Forever CC that there were "no chemicals" in the concoction.

The ruling followed a complaint by Cape Town consumer activist Harris Steinman.

The ASA said that when challenged, Wellness Forever denied that the name "Supreme Slim" in any way implied weight loss.

It did, however, agree to stop making the claim that Supreme Slim was "100% herbal".

The ASA said Wellness Forever was unable to provide proper substantiation for its marketing claims that Supreme Slim was an appetite suppressant, that it accelerated metabolism, was a "fat burner" and that users could get "results" without exercise.

It also said the only reasonable inference that could be drawn from the name "Supreme Slim" was that the product would result in the user becoming slimmer, or losing weight.

The ASA ordered that Wellness Forever stop making the appetite and fat-burning claims, and ordered that the name itself be "withdrawn" immediately.

This is the second time this year that Wellness Forever has fallen foul of the ASA over its claims for a "slimming" product.

In February the ASA made a similar ruing on its "Slender Gel".