Disney and Marvel Complete Tablets marketed by NBTY Inc.
Kids vitamins are not as healthy as advertised, according to the Federal Trade Commission, resulting in the marketer of Disney and Marvel hero-themed vitamins for children refunding more than $2 million to consumers who purchased the kids vitamins in recent years.
The kids vitamins in question contained only a fraction of the nutritional value advertised on the package, admitted the marketer NBTY. The vitamins were advertised as containing enough DHA to satisfy a child’s daily requirement. However, according to the FTC, in some cases the vitamins contained only a miniscule amount of DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish.
The amount of DHA in Disney and Marvel Complete Tablets equaled only one-thousandth of what NBTY claimed per serving for children age 4 and older, the FTC found.
For children ages 2 to 4, court documents filed by the FTC alleged, the discrepancy was much greater, only five-10-thousandths of what was advertised.
The kids vitamins, Disney and Marvel Complete Tablets, were sold at CVS Pharmacy, Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, Kroger, Kmart, Meijer and Rite Aid, as well as online. The boxes were priced between $4 and $8 each.
The refunds announced Tuesday stem from a case filed in 2010 alleging NBTY make false and deceptive advertising claims about their nutritional supplements. The refund amount totals $2.1 million.
The FTC urges consumers who believe they may have bought Disney and Marvel Complete Tablets between May 1, 2008 and September 30, 2010, to file a claim online, or call 866-224-4336 to request a paper claim form in the mail. Consumers eligible for the refund have until October 12, 2012 to file their claims.
More information on the refund can be found via the FTC’s announcement.
