Odom Fanning

Opening two days of hearings, Senator William V. Roth, Jr. (R-DE), chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, made it clear that their purpose was not to “get” Herbalife or any other product, but resulted from five months of investigation into weight reduction products and plans of all types. The Subcommittee is authorized to investigate the efficiency and economy of all branches of the government and also has jurisdiction over “all aspects of crime and lawlessness within the U.S. which have impact upon or affect the national health, welfare, or safety.” Roth acknowledged that following announcement of the hearings (held in Washington, D.C., May 14th and 15th), he had received a “very large number of phone calls and letters from individuals who are very …

May 15th was a sunny Spring day, ideal for a demonstration. About 8 AM., an estimated 3,000 Herbalife supporters from across the country began gathering on Capitol Hill, each wearing a large button reading: “I lost X pounds. Ask me how.” They had been called to Washington for a rally whose main purpose was to grab media attention and get television reporters to ask, on camera, how they had lost their claimed poundage. The evening before, they had shared their enthusiasm in a ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where they received buttons and instructions from a platoon of officials from Herbalife International headquarters in Los Angeles. The 5-block walk from the hotel to the Dirksen Senate Office Building was covered by camera crews from …

One way “health food” retailers get information is by attending national and regional trade shows where manufacturers display their wares and various spokespeople deliver the industry viewpoint on food and nutrition issues. Natural Foods Expo ’85 East, held October 25-28, 1985, at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center, attracted some 4,000 retailers, most of them from the eastern United States. More than 200 exhibits were staffed by friendly sales personnel who passed out literature and abundant samples of foods and food supplements. The exhibitors came from all over the country and included many regulars from the established sister show, Natural Foods Expo West, held each Spring in Anaheim, California. These shows are sponsored by New Hope Communications, of New Hope, Pennsylvania, publisher of Natural Foods Merchandiser …