A firm that markets a weight-loss supplement is being prosecuted by the Commerce Commission under the Fair Trading Act.
Zenith Corporation faces 49 charges, 23 of them in the alternative, in the Auckland District Court in relation to its Body Enhancer product, which sells for $92 a bottle.
The firm is accused
of making false or misleading claims in advertising about the benefits of the supplement.
Body Enhancer was said to assist fat burning; muscle growth; liver and body detoxification; and prevention of collagen depletion.
It also helped in building bones and tendon cells; cartilage healing; strengthening joints and heart muscles; breaking down fat; and appetite control.
Commission lawyers Mark Woolford and Todd Simmonds told Judge Lindsay Moore that experts felt there was "no proper or adequate" evidence to substantiate the claims.
But Zenith's lawyer, John Katz, QC, said the evidence substantiated the claims.
"The company has invested heavily in what it genuinely and in good faith believes to be a product that works and for which it can make claims that can be supported.
"We are not dealing with a quack remedy."
Alternatively, Zenith relied on the information supplied to it by the manufacturer.
