FTC: QVC to pay $7.5 million over charges of false dietary supplement, anti-cellulite claims

QVC, the TV shopping channel, will pay $7.5 million to settle claims that it aired "false and unsubstantiated claims" about three dietary supplements and an anti-cellulite sknin cream, the Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday.

From the FTC announcement:

The agency alleged that QVC violated a 2000 FTC order barring it from making deceptive claims for dietary supplements. According to the Commission, QVC aired approximately 200 programs in which false and unsubstantiated claims were made about For Women Only weight-loss pills; Lite Bites weight-loss food bars and shakes; and Bee-Alive Royal Jelly energy supplements. In addition, the complaint charged that QVC violated Section 5 of the FTC Act by making unsubstantiated claims about Lipofactor Cellulite Target Lotion.

The settlement requires QVC to pay $6 million for consumer redress and a $1.5 million civil penalty. In addition, the settlement expands the prior FTC order and further bars QVC from making unsubstantiated claims that any drug or cosmetic eliminates or reduces a user’s cellulite.