FreeLife
Encyclopedia
FreeLife International is a multi-level marketing
company established in 1995 by Ray Faltinsky and Kevin Fournier that supplies nutritional supplements. FreeLife is best known for promoting Himalayan Goji Juice, made from goji berries.
FreeLife operates as an international multi-level marketing company where sale of a consumer products take place person-to-person, away from a fixed retail location, or also known as a direct selling company. These products are marketed to customers by independent salespeople who are paid commissions on their sales and the sales of their downline. The company requires those marketing its products to follow certain guidelines set by the company.
Freelife International is a member of the Direct Selling Association
(DSA).. The DSA is the national trade association of the leading firms that manufacture and distribute goods and services sold directly to consumers.
, has made several unfounded claims about health benefits of the company's brand of goji
juice, including that it has anticancer and anti-aging properties. Mindell's involvement with FreeLife was subject of a CBC
hidden camera investigation in January 2007, questioning the unsupported anticancer properties of Himalayan Goji Juice and validity of Mindell's Ph.D. qualification (which was later proved invalid and removed from Mindell's biography on the FreeLife website).
Claims that undetermined constituents of goji may have a beneficial effect on cancer derive from preliminary evidence of cancer cell inhibition in vitro
(i.e. in a dish). There is no scientific evidence such effects occur in vivo
(i.e. when consumed). H. Leon Bradlow, coauthor of a study that Mindell cites as support for this anticancer claim, says that his original research does not, in fact, prove that goji has any anticancer properties.
and other diluting factors, such as experimenter bias and weak experimental design cannot be ruled out as potential explanations for their findings.
A settlement agreement was reached on April 28, 2010, where FreeLife will take steps to ensure that its goji products are not marketed as "unheated" or "raw.", as well as made a contribution to an educational organization.
Multi-level marketing
Multi-level marketing is a marketing strategy in which the sales force is compensated not only for sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of others they recruit, creating a downline of distributors and a hierarchy of multiple levels of compensation...
company established in 1995 by Ray Faltinsky and Kevin Fournier that supplies nutritional supplements. FreeLife is best known for promoting Himalayan Goji Juice, made from goji berries.
History
In 1995, cofounders Ray Faltinsky and Kevin Fournier, along with a group of investors including Anson Beard of Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter, launched FreeLife International as a direct sales company based on Ray Faltinsky's prior research on that business model. As FreeLife grew, it was listed in 2000 in Inc. 500's List of Fastest Growing Businesses. FreeLife has since grown to include operations in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Brunei, Canada, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Hong Kong, Macau, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Singapore, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin/St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, and the United States.Products
FreeLife’s product line initially consisted of nutritional supplements, weight loss products, shampoo and personal care products. FreeLife has since changed its product lines, and now focuses on a juice made from goji (Lycium barbarum) and sold under the product name Himalayan Goji Juice, and a newer product named GoChi.FreeLife operates as an international multi-level marketing company where sale of a consumer products take place person-to-person, away from a fixed retail location, or also known as a direct selling company. These products are marketed to customers by independent salespeople who are paid commissions on their sales and the sales of their downline. The company requires those marketing its products to follow certain guidelines set by the company.
Freelife International is a member of the Direct Selling Association
Direct Selling Association
The Direct Selling Association is the name of several similar trade associations in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and New Zealand that represent direct selling companies, including those that use multi-level marketing compensation plans or party plan product...
(DSA).. The DSA is the national trade association of the leading firms that manufacture and distribute goods and services sold directly to consumers.
Anticancer claims
FreeLife's former spokesperson, Earl MindellEarl Mindell
Earl Lawrence Mindell is a Canadian-American writer and nutritionist who currently resides in Beverly Hills, California. He is a writer who has authored over 45 books on health and wellness, and is a strong advocate of nutrition as preventive medicine and homeopathy.- Personal life and education...
, has made several unfounded claims about health benefits of the company's brand of goji
Wolfberry
Wolfberry, commercially called goji berry, is the common name for the fruit of two very closely related species: Lycium barbarum and L. chinense , two species of boxthorn in the family Solanaceae...
juice, including that it has anticancer and anti-aging properties. Mindell's involvement with FreeLife was subject of a CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
hidden camera investigation in January 2007, questioning the unsupported anticancer properties of Himalayan Goji Juice and validity of Mindell's Ph.D. qualification (which was later proved invalid and removed from Mindell's biography on the FreeLife website).
Claims that undetermined constituents of goji may have a beneficial effect on cancer derive from preliminary evidence of cancer cell inhibition in vitro
In vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
(i.e. in a dish). There is no scientific evidence such effects occur in vivo
In vivo
In vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
(i.e. when consumed). H. Leon Bradlow, coauthor of a study that Mindell cites as support for this anticancer claim, says that his original research does not, in fact, prove that goji has any anticancer properties.
Human pilot studies
FreeLife International has funded and carried out its own research on the effects of its product. This research has, perhaps unsurprisingly, shown positive effects on mood and levels of antioxidants in the blood. However, since this research is carried out by the company marketing the product itself, there may be a conflict of interestConflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
and other diluting factors, such as experimenter bias and weak experimental design cannot be ruled out as potential explanations for their findings.
Burge et al vs FreeLife
On May 29, 2009, a class action lawsuit was filed against FreeLife International, Inc. in the United States District Court of Arizona. This lawsuit alleges false claims, misrepresentations, false and deceptive advertising and other issues regarding FreeLife’s Himalayan Goji Juice, GoChi, and TaiSlim products. This lawsuit seeks remedies for consumers who have purchased these products in recent years.A settlement agreement was reached on April 28, 2010, where FreeLife will take steps to ensure that its goji products are not marketed as "unheated" or "raw.", as well as made a contribution to an educational organization.