Following an inquiry by the National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs, California-based Infinity Superfoods discontinued a social media post and related blog posts for its Infinity-C dietary supplement.

Through its routine monitoring program, NAD challenged Infinity Superfoods’ social media post for Infinity-C including an image with the text:

• “The Link Between Vitamin C and the Coronavirus” and associated text stating,

• “Twenty-three hospitals, alone, in New York are now treating patients who test positive for COVID-19 with large doses of vitamin C. While this is an extraordinary breakthrough in the medical world, high vitamin C foods have proven for millennia to do far more for our health than just fighting off the winter bug. Infinity-C works by delivering 1000 mg of real vitamin C per serving purely from plant foods for a 100 percent absorption rate, making it a superior upgrade from the all-too-common ascorbic acid. Just one tablespoon of Infinity-C contains the vitamin C content of 14 oranges, making Infinity-C an incomparable immune-boosting powerhouse.”

NAD also challenged a link to a blog post referring to the use of vitamin C to treat COVID-19 patients. The advertising division inquired as to whether the challenged advertising conveyed the implied message that taking Infinity-C protects users against COVID-19.

NAD noted that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have both stated that there are no approved vaccines, drugs, or investigational products currently available to treat or prevent COVID-19. Both the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have issued dozens of warning letters to companies making claims about their products’ ability to treat or prevent COVID-19. Health and safety concerns are a top priority for NAD’s monitoring efforts, with particular attention currently focused on advertising for COVID-19 treatments.

In response to NAD’s inquiry, Infinity Superfoods voluntarily discontinued the social media post in question, as well as the related blog post. The advertiser also discontinued implied claims identified during NAD’s inquiry, including:

• Claims on Infinity-C product pages implying that the product is effective in treating COVID-19 by referring to articles or studies on the benefits of vitamin C and its impact on fighting disease in the context of preventing or treating COVID-19; and

• A reference to studies deemed to be efficacious in treating COVID-19.

The advertiser also modified a Facebook post touting the immunity benefits of Infinity-C to remove the reference to “now is needed more than ever” in the claim “The power of a healthy immune system is massive—and now is needed more than ever.”

In its advertiser’s statement, Infinity Superfoods stated that it “will not expressly and/or impliedly claim that its products cure or treat COVID-19” and expressed its appreciation for participating in the advertising self-regulatory process.

For more information, visit https://www.bbbprograms.org/.