The Enforma System (thing)

Fat Trapper

Fat Trapper is designed to pass fat through your body without absorption of said fat. The idea being that Fat Trapper, "through a unique combination of a soluble fibre" and an insoluble fibre, wraps its matter around the fat, "ties it up in a bundle," which becomes too heavy to pass through the wall of the stomach.

Exercise In A Bottle

Exercise In A Bottle uses a substance called pyruvate, to speed up the working of the cells - metabolism. Simply put, the product is supposed to speed up the metabolism, and the processing of fats and carbohydrates in the body. I know those last sentences sound repetitive, but the point needs to be made crystal clear - that's the way they do it in their infomercial. And it has bearing on the rest of this writeup.

The combination of the two is supposed to be able to help lose weight, without actually doing anything. You can sit around the house and lose weight. You can eat a half-cup of lard and lose weight. And because it's natural, so says the infomercial, you're supposed to not have any side effects, like the jitters or whatever.

Because I feel it would be a bad idea to defame this "fine product" myself, as that's not nice to the hardworking Enforma Natural Products staff, I will merely state the following:

On September 1, 2000, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission, in the United States) filed charges against the Enforma Natural Products company, for "deceptive advertising." Also, at roughly the same time, I saw on the news in my hometown (Edmonton, Alberta), on a channel formerly known as ITV, their "troubleshooter," claiming that the product does not work. The following excerpt is taken straight from the FTC website, and is an outline of the charges, and related information.

FTC Files Charges Against Additional Defendants Involved in the Deceptive Advertising of "The Enforma System"

One Defendant Agrees to Settlement

The Federal Trade Commission has filed charges in federal court against several participants involved in the allegedly deceptive advertising of "The Enforma System" weight loss products. The complaint names two hosts of the Enforma infomercial -- former professional baseball player Steve Garvey, and Lark Kendall, a purported "nutritionist"; Garvey's management company, Garvey Management Group, Inc.; the infomercial producer, Modern Interactive Technology, Inc.; and its two principals, Mark Levine and David Richmond. The FTC alleges that these defendants had active roles in developing the deceptive claims made to sell the Enforma products. In a separate settlement, Lark Kendall, called Kendall Carson in the Enforma infomercial, has agreed to settle the charges against her. Under a settlement with the FTC announced earlier this year, Enforma Natural Products, Inc. and one of its principals are required to pay $10 million in consumer redress.

The Enforma System was promoted chiefly via televised 30-minute infomercials, which claimed that consumers who used it could lose weight without dieting or exercising, regardless of what they ate. The Enforma System consists of two diet supplements -- a chitosan-based product called "Fat Trapper" that purports to prevent the absorption of dietary fat; and a pyruvate product named "Exercise In A Bottle" that supposedly increases the body's capacity to burn fat.

In April 2000, the Commission filed a complaint in federal court against Enforma Natural Products, Inc. and two of its principals, Andrew Grey and Fred Zinos, alleging that the company's claims for "The Enforma System" were false and unsubstantiated. The FTC also filed two stipulated final orders resolving the charges (one with Enforma Natural Products and Grey and the other with Zinos). The settlement with Enforma Natural Products and Grey required that they pay $10 million in consumer redress. Eligible Enforma System purchasers who want to make sure they are listed for ultimate refunds should complete the form contained on the FTC's Web site at www.ftc.gov or call 202-326-3123.

According to the FTC's complaint announced today, Garvey and Kendall appeared in the Enforma infomercials as co-hosts and made numerous statements promoting the efficacy of the Enforma System, such as the following statement by Garvey: "Look at all these delicious supposedly forbidden foods; barbecued chicken and ribs, buttered biscuits. Foods you can eat when you crave them without guilt, without worry, and it's all because of a few little capsules." The FTC alleges that defendants Levine, Richmond and Modern Interactive Technology were instrumental in creating, writing, editing and producing both of the Enforma infomercials that made the deceptive weight-loss claims. The complaint also alleges that defendants Levine, Richmond, Modern Interactive Technology and Kendall falsely represented Kendall as a nutritionist in the two infomercials.

According to the FTC, the infomercials were broadcast on cable and local television stations throughout the United States. Together the two infomercials were broadcast more than 30,000 times. Garvey and Kendall both have been pictured on the official web site for The Enforma System and on the packaging of the product sold in retail stores. Garvey has also appeared on radio and TV programs promoting The Enforma System.

The Commission is seeking an order that would permanently prohibit the defendants from engaging in deceptive practices and would require them to pay redress for consumers who purchased The Enforma System.

Coincidentally, I state before that I'd seen the ITV Troubleshooter (a person who gets down and dirty, uncovering information important to people around Edmonton, like when they're getting ripped off by bogus companies) talking about how the Enforma System didn't work. That was about a year ago. And for a year, I never saw the Enforma Infomercial. Just recently, I noticed that they're on again. I've got this almost obsessive need to defame and belittle infomercial products, to see if they are good or bad or whatever, and apparently, this was one of the bad ones. But recently, as I've been saying, it's been back on again. Fraudulent or not, I guess ITV (Now Global, which you can find at http://www.canada.com/edmonton/globaltv/) likes making money. And now I understand the warning about this being a "paid advertisement."