False Advertising Essay

What they regret to inform you in the big print is that the only way to acquire these results is with diet and exercise, therefore they are misleading you. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission fined certain weight loss products for false advertising. These companies claimed that their product ranged from rapid weight loss to reducing the risk of cancer. Although these products were not pulled off shelves, they were advised to stop making false claims or prove their claims with scientific research proving that these products undoubtedly carry out the actions they claim to do. That’s just to show you that you can’t and shouldn’t believe everything you see. False advertising is also found widely in the food industry. There are many food companies that advertise their products on TV via commercials, such as Burger King, Quiznos, McDonald’s, and even supermarkets. These companies want you to visit their establishment by pulling you in with advertisements of their delicious products such as juicy burgers or bright red strawberries. The products look so good on TV, but when you arrive at the establishment and place your order, you receive something that doesn’t look as good as it did on TV. These companies falsely advertise what their products look like to draw you in so they can make money. If you have ever seen a Quiznos commercial, their sandwiches are advertised with an abundant amount of meat and vegetables, but when you go to purchase one, they are nothing close to what was advertised. The foods in the advertisements you see are not exactly edible. The agencies that are hired to create these products use cosmetic chemicals to enhance colors so the products appear to be fresh. They do this so they can boost its virtual appeal, concluding the point of not everything you see in advertising is necessarily true. Consumers are greatly affected by these deceptions. People who purchase a product and later realize that they did not receive what they thought they were paying for are dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction will eventually lead consumers to never purchase that product again, which will cause sales to drop for that company. By word of mouth, internet, and other means of communication these companies’ profits will plunge due to consumer discontent. Also, if companies are falsely advertising and fail to mention a certain aspect of their product to consumers and that consumer happens to be allergic to that certain aspect of the product, it may lead to a potential lawsuit. For example, the food label known as Spikes all purpose food seasoning declared their product had â€Å"no MSG added. † Further reading of the ingredients in this product, it contained hydrolyzed protein. This protein contains MSG; therefore this food label was false and misleading. Anyone who is allergic to MSG that consumes this product will get violently ill. Due to the lack of information the company failed to mention on the label, there is no way a consumer would have known the product contained MSG. To avoid situations like these, companies must be clear in stating every ingredient in their product. Not only in food products, but companies must also be sure to include every feature of their merchandise, so no one is being mislead.