In the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Carter, et al., v. General Nutrition Centers Inc., a case for spiking amino acids is pending. Attorney Nick Suciu has been involved with several other amino acid spiking lawsuits for the past five years. The case is set for a final hearing on Dec. 19, 2019. Until then, you can learn more about the case.
GNC holds more than 8,000 stores
While the company has grown to over 8,000 locations in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, the company has announced that it will close between seven hundred and ninety of its stores by the end of next year. The closings will depend on the severity of declining mall traffic. The company’s founder David Shakarian started the Lackzoom health food store in Pittsburgh in 1935. In the 1980s, he changed the store’s name to General Nutrition Centers. The company grew rapidly and now has more than 8,000 locations worldwide, with 5,900 in the U.S.
It sells products from third-party vendors
Many health and wellness articles published by GNC are a pseudo-advertisement for the company’s products. These articles explain the benefits of vitamins and minerals and often review the “best of” supplements. However, many of these articles are written by people associated with GNC, including Nuzzo. GNC has since removed the articles from its site. These articles are a good place to learn more about the company and its products.
It does not manufacture the products
There are some issues with GNC’s business model. While they are an excellent supplier of nutritional supplements, their recent acquisition of a company that makes vitamins and minerals has made the quality of some of their products shaky. Although they do not manufacture the products themselves, they do sell them through retail stores and offer helpful advice. The company has 8,900 locations around the country and a slew of online retailers.
It allows adulterated products to be sold
A recent lawsuit against GNC alleges the company knowingly sold supplements containing banned substances. The lawsuit states that GNC ignored FDA warning letters six months before selling banned supplements to consumers. It is unclear whether the FDA’s new guidelines are sufficient to prevent the sale of adulterated products. GNC maintains that it complies with the rules imposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
It deceives consumers
A class-action lawsuit filed in California alleges that GNC Supplements deceive consumers by advertising their proprietary dietary supplements. The lawsuit asserts that GNC misbranded and deceived consumers by misrepresenting the ingredients of several supplements. It claims that the labeling on GNC Aloe Vera Skin Gel and GNC Diabetic Support Dietary Supplement lacked a disclaimer, which is required by law. The lawsuit also asserts claims arising from breach of an implied warranty, as well as common-law claims.
It violates Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act
A recent lawsuit claims that the GNC company violated the Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act by selling products that contain picamilon, a synthetic drug that was created by Soviet investigators and illegal to include in dietary supplements. Despite this, the company stopped selling picamilon products in September, when the attorney general’s office alerted the company to the potential violation. Officials demanded documents regarding the supplements and suspected that picamilon was not a lawful dietary ingredient.
It contains illegal stimulants
The GNC Supplement Spiking Lawsuit claims that the company’s supplements contain an illegal substance known as BMPEA or picamilon. The ingredients in the supplement are similar to illegal stimulants called 1,3-dimethylamylamine, or DMAA. This substance is banned by the FDA. In response to the lawsuit, the company has withdrawn products containing the illegal substance from its shelves.
