Celsius NEGATIVE calorie drink?

rainbowbow
rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
in Food and Nutrition
http://www.celsius.com/

Okay, so other than the fact that the claims made by this company are absolutely absurd here's my question-

At what point do foods and beverages become "supplements" and thus require no evaluation by the FDA? How can this company sell a beverage, legally, while claiming it burns 100 calories? Surely it's considered a supplement not a food item?

Why is it other thermogenic fat burners or caffeine-laden pills cannot make this same claim?

I saw two people drinking these today wallowing in the ignorance that simply drinking an energy drink will burn them calories; they don't even need to try and workout/change their diet!

Someone please let me know how this aggressive and potentially harmful marketing is allowed?

Eta: as for the actual product, I give no farkz. So please refrain from commenting on its effectiveness or lack thereof.

Replies

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Bump!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Bump! :)
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Interesting question.

    I think probably there's a profitable lag time between when they put it out, and when it eventually gets pulled for fraudulent marketing where the company makes enough money to cover whatever trouble they get in. That would be my totally uneducated guess about it.

    I would also be interested to know.
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
    I got some Snake Oil in my trunk. I can tell you that it burns 200 calories a day. I can sell you 5 bottles for $50. Though I might get fined $40 dollars I still make a profit.
  • gwhizeh
    gwhizeh Posts: 269 Member
    From the website : †Celsius alone does not produce weight loss in the absence of a healthy diet and moderate exercise. Whether you walk the dog, play tennis or exercise at the gym, make Celsius part of your daily regimen.

    I'm guessing the disclaimer trumps all other claims.

    Wonder if its available in Canada? lol
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    * These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.


    ^but how is a beverage exempt from THIS.

    They've been at it since 2009 apparently. Really?!?!
  • dtimedwards
    dtimedwards Posts: 319 Member


    Wonder if its available in Canada? lol

    Yes, but it is called Fahrenheit.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    I got some Snake Oil in my trunk. I can tell you that it burns 200 calories a day. I can sell you 5 bottles for $50. Though I might get fined $40 dollars I still make a profit.

    Good point. Although generally with fines they are imposed stipulations to change claims/marketing, right?
  • GoMizzou99
    GoMizzou99 Posts: 512 Member
    If I drink 35 cans a day - I will lose 7 pounds per week assuming I eat all of my calories. Therefore, I have less than 26 weeks before I become invisible :-)
  • colortheworld
    colortheworld Posts: 374 Member
    Totally off topic, but OP, what show is the picture on your ticker from?
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Totally off topic, but OP, what show is the picture on your ticker from?

    That would be the infamous Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    If I drink 35 cans a day - I will lose 7 pounds per week assuming I eat all of my calories. Therefore, I have less than 26 weeks before I become invisible :-)

    And 4 days before your first heart attack followed by a major stroke.
  • colortheworld
    colortheworld Posts: 374 Member
    Totally off topic, but OP, what show is the picture on your ticker from?

    That would be the infamous Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

    Thanks! :flowerforyou: I knew she looked familiar.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    Here is an article about what are Health claims and what are supplement claims and what the FDA regulates. I took a nutrition class and I was amazed at what they can legally say on packages.

    http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm111447.htm
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Here is an article about what are Health claims and what are supplement claims and what the FDA regulates. I took a nutrition class and I was amazed at what they can legally say on packages.

    http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm111447.htm

    Glorious! Much appreciated!
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    In none of their material do they actually claim the drink has negative calories. Read carefully...
    n a study of 60 healthy college-aged men and women, 100 calories represents the average calories burned over three hours for those participants consuming a single serving of Celsius®.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    But... But...

    hsuous.jpg

    Did I miss one of those squiggly line crosses that says- "lol jk we aren't actually claiming this and therefore can't be held responsible"?
  • funkyspunky872
    funkyspunky872 Posts: 866 Member
    It says that it's a negative calorie drink on the front page, but in another section it only mentions that the drink can help you burn up to 100 calories MORE during your workout routine. So if you were burning 200 calories during your 30 minutes of cardio before, then the drink will help you burn 300 calories instead. (Not going into the actual bs of it all, just mentioning what the website must really mean by 'negative calorie')

    Not sure how they can get away with labeling it as a neg calorie drink though. I assume it's just clever marketing and somewhere on the actual packing is a nutritional label of some kind that does not literally have a -100 in the calorie column.
  • irjeffb
    irjeffb Posts: 275 Member
    This:
    "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."

    is the standard disclaimer on something that makes a claim like a drug, but isn't reviewed or approved as a drug. If it were a drug, the FDA would require proof that it's both safe and effective. This disclaimer means they don't need to prove that it's effective. It would be treated more like a food, which doesn't require any review or approval before going to market (though is still required to be safe).

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