For Release:
September 17, 2002 FTC Announces Public
Workshop to Discuss the Advertising of Weight-Loss Products
The Federal Trade Commission will hold a workshop on
November 19, 2002, to explore alternate approaches to reducing deceptive claims in
advertising for weight-loss products. Following up on the September 17th issuance of the
FTC staff report, Weight-Loss Advertising: An Analysis of Current Trends, the
workshop will give the FTC staff and interested parties an opportunity to discuss new
strategies for fighting weight-loss fraud. A notice announcing the public workshop will be
published in the Federal Register shortly.
The workshop will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on
November 19, 2002, at the FTC headquarters building, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.,
Washington, D.C., and will provide a public forum to explore the impact that deceptive
weight loss ads have on public health and new approaches for fighting the proliferation of
misleading claims. The workshop will consist of panels featuring public health officials,
medical professionals, researchers, advertising executives, media experts, and members of
the weight-loss industry.
"You can't flip through a magazine or turn on the TV
without seeing ads that promise easy weight loss without diet or exercise," said
Timothy J. Muris, Chairman of the FTC. "Over the years the FTC has challenged - and
will continue to challenge - ads for bogus pills, patches, and potions. But it's time to
explore additional steps that can be taken to protect consumers from weight-loss scam
artists."
The workshop will be open to the public and there is no
attendance fee. Written requests to participate as a panelist in the workshop must be
filed by October 15, 2002. Written comments on the topics to be discussed by the panelists
must be filed on or before October 29, 2002.
The Commission vote to publish the Federal Register notice
announcing the public workshop conference was 5-0. |