DA lawsuit settled: supplement company to pay $200,000 for false advertising

For release on October 5, 2023

CONTACT:
Christopher Judge
Deputy District Attorney
Consumer Protection Unit 
(408) 792-2623

DA lawsuit settled: supplement company to pay $200,000 for false advertising 

A San Diego-based supplement company and its founder have agreed to pay $200,000 to settle a consumer protection lawsuit filed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. The lawsuit alleged that the company made false or misleading advertising claims for its dietary supplements, including that the supplements could replace “bad” bacteria with “good” bacteria.

Organifi, LLC, and its founder, Andrew Canole, were ordered to pay $150,000 in civil penalties and $50,000 in investigative costs and restitution. The company is also prohibited from engaging in false advertising.    

“Nutritional supplements aren’t cheap,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Customers have a right to expect that the products they buy work as advertised.”

Organifi sells supplement powder made from fruit and vegetables, and its product brands include Gold, Pure, Green Juice, and Red Juice. The company engaged in extensive advertising in California. Prosecutors alleged that Organifi made unlawful claims about its products that were not supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence. For example, the company claimed the supplements could balance hormone and cortisol levels and regulate the parasympathetic nervous system.

The case was filed in Monterey County Superior Court by prosecutors in the California Food, Drug, and Medical Device Task Force, which also includes the District Attorney’s Offices of Alameda, Marin, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Shasta, San Francisco, and Orange counties.

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