Sham ‘slimming pills’ have been discovered by Hull City Council’s Trading Standards officers. Found at a national retailer in the city, ‘Slimbod’ claimed to be a ‘fat metaboliser’. However, when the pills were tested it was discovered they did not contain the active ingredient ‘choline’ as claimed on the packaging and would not support weight loss.
The fake pills were marketed and distributed across the country by an Essex-based retailer, known as WHS Sports Nutrition. The team in Hull began an investigation following proactive local informal sampling of food supplement products, after concerns were highlighted by the Food Standards Agency. Further samples were taken and tested, and the results confirmed there was no choline present in the ‘Slimbod’ product.
The owner of WHS Sports Nutrition, Spencer Barron, pleaded ‘not guilty’ at Beverley Magistrates Court to offences relating to the unapproved health claims made. Mr Barron used a ‘due diligence’ defence, where a trader says they took all reasonable steps to avoid committing an offence.
However, he was found guilty on all four counts of breaching the Nutrition and Health Claims (England) Regulations 2007 and ordered to pay around £3,000 in fines and costs. The Trading Standards team worked closely with the council’s own Legal Services team, as well as Counsel from Crown Chambers to bring the successful prosecution.
Cllr Charles Quinn, whose portfolio includes Trading Standards, said: “This case once again highlights the scope and significance of the work the Trading Standards team does. They are dedicated to making sure products are safe, and are what they claim to be. In this case, these so-called slimming pills were a con, and a waste of money.
“This is a great example of the more unusual areas the team can investigate. The impact in this instance is national as well as local, with these pills removed from sale entirely by the national retailer.
“It’s also an important reminder to traders that selling, distributing and marketing fake goods can have serious financial consequences and business impacts”.
Trading Standards can support with a huge range of issues, including: goods that are unsafe, mis-described, faulty or counterfeit; scams; illicit tobacco; firework sales; food standards; illegal sales of goods to young people; doorstep crime; animal welfare and more.
The team in Hull works in partnership with Citizen’s Advice; to make a report in the first instance, contact Citizen’s Advice on 0808 223 1133. Reports will be passed on to the local team as necessary.
For more information, visit Hull.gov.uk and search ‘Trading Standards’.
