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Unmasking MonaVie
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MonaVie LLC is based in Utah and is a multi-level marketing company. (The MonaVie website uses the terms "Person-to-person distribution" and "relationship marketing.") With a multi-level marketing (MLM) business structure, each distributor is treated as a separate company due to the independent agreements that exist between them and the supplier.
The other 18 fruit juices in MonaVie: apricot, aronia, acerola, purple grape, passion fruit, camu camu, banana, lychee fruit, nashi pear, kiwi, pomegranate, prune, wolfberry, pear, bilberry, cranberry, blueberry, white grape More acai products available locally at Brighter Day Foods |
The founder and CEO is Dallin Larsen, who has a degree in finance from Brigham Young University. He has 15 years' experience with MLM. Two former Amway employees also are part of the company. Amway and Monarch Health Products (MonaVie's parent company) have each filed lawsuits against each other, and MonaVie’s contract has extensive wording not allowing anyone who was with Amway in past six months to sign as a distributor. 
MonaVie claims that its main ingredient is juice from the Brazilian acai berry, which grows in the rainforests and is high in antioxidants and important nutrients.Some Viewer Comments about MonaVie
Before we'd even aired this special report, we received several emails and phone calls from viewers sharing their stories. Here is some of what we heard from you:
Naomi from Richmond Hill wrote:
I am a breast cancer survivor without chemo or radiation, and MonaVie has been instrumental in keeping my tumor markers down. I have blood work results and my doctor's acknowledgement of it. ... My doctor was skeptical at first, as was I. ... We were both pleasantly surprised with the blood work after I began drinking MonaVie.
Katherine from Savannah wrote:
I personally have been drinking MonaVie since October 2006 and have had excellent results. ... I can honestly say that within three months of adding MonaVie to my diet, my cholesterol dropped 43 points. Also, I gave it to my chocolate labrador for over a year. She had canine osteosarcoma (a bone cancer) and it slowed down the aggressiveness of this awful disease, prolonging her life and givign her a better quality of life during her last days. ... Despite the cost, I'd rather pay to consume this juice than pay doctor bills and prescription medications.
Maria from the Lowcountry wrote:
My husband was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus almost two years ago. ... After traditional treatments (which I wholeheartedly support), we knew still his chances of recurrence were great. What we gave our bodies in the following months was key. Simultaneously, I had developed carpal tunnel disorder in both my wrists and a terrible bowel/bladder issue. ... A friend knocked on my door with a bottle of MonaVie. Very skeptical and very much in need of a few miracles, I took the juice, with no real intention of ever seeing another bottle again. I drank it for a week. Big things quickly began to happen. I ordered more and decided to share it with my family. I did much medical research; researching its history, the doctors and scientists that were endorsing this and the facts of the ingredients themselves. I researched MonaVie's team and the berry and blend and found no holes.
Crossing the Line - Blow Energy Drink Mix
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Ingredients:Taurine, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Caffeine, L-Carnitine, Aspartame, Tricalcium Phosphate, Inositol, Acesulfame Potassium, Kola Nut Extract, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Calcium Pantolthenate (Viatamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrocholoride (Vitamin B6), and Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)
Directions:Empty entire vial into 16 ounces of your favorite beverage and enjoy with a friend Warnings:Phenylketonurics: contains phenylalanineNot for use by individuals under the age of 18 years. Do not use if pregnant or nursing. This product contains caffeine. Keep out of reach of children. |
Warning Letter from the FDA to producers of Blow - excerpts:
"This letter concerns your firm's marketing of the product "Blow" on your website, www.iloveblow.com. According to information on your website, Blow is marketed as an alternative to an illicit street drug and is intended to affect the structure or function of the body."
The letter then lists several things on the product packaging and on the website that "demonstrate that your product is intended as an alternative to an illicit street drug."
"Your product, Blow, is a drug, as defined by Section 201(g)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), 21 U.S.C. § 321(g)(1), because it is intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals. Moreover, this product is a new drug, as defined by Section 201(p) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 321(p), because it is not generally recognized as safe and effective for its labeled uses. Under Sections 301 (d) and 505(a) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. §§ 331(d) and 355(a), a new drug may not be introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce unless an FDA-approved application is in effect for it. Your sale of Blow without an approved application violates these provisions of the Act."