MonaVie Scam? |
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[MonaVie has issued a cease and desist order in an attempt to prevent you from this article below. I'd pay special attention to the comments as there is a lot of great information about MonaVie there.]
Is MonaVie a Scam?
Is MonaVie a Scam?
Was my wife targeted to buy snake-oil? Hundreds of people weigh in.
My wife is an active member in a nation-wide, young adults group. I am a member as well, but I'm not nearly as active (lack of time, plus my Laziness kicks in). The groups' goals are very noble. They aim to help members with public speaking and event planning skills while raising money for charity through local businesses. Recently my wife went to a meeting and was gone longer than usual. I got a little concerned, so I called her to find out how the meeting was going. It turned out that it wasn't a typical meeting any more - one of the members had invited some business acquaintances of his. When she got back, she told me about the meeting. It turned into a presentation of an energy/antioxidant juice called MonaVie.
About MonaVie
This juice is a blend of 19 juices with the most referenced being the açaí (a-sigh-eee) berry. The açaí berry supposedly has many, many antioxidant properties. I like to be as healthy as I possible, so why wouldn't I incorporate MonaVie into my diet?
The Price of MonaVie
The business behind the juice detracts from it's value. The juice itself is not cheap. It's $40 a bottle with a bottle lasting only around one week. That means you can expect to pay around $175 a month for this juice. For many people, that's a significant car payment. For this kind of money, one would expect some sort of guarantee, perhaps a popular, publicly-traded, pharmaceutical company standing behind it. The company also doesn't publish how much of the acai berry is each bottle.
MonaVie and Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)
Beyond MonaVie juice being expensive, it is sold by distributors who are compensated in based on a multi-level marketing structure. Some of you familiar with Amway or Quixtar might understand how this works. For those who are new to multi-level marketing, the goal of the organization is to recruit more sellers and "incentivize" them for recruiting them. I'm not a big fan of such systems, it seems like the founders of the company always make a fair amount, and the people that join later end up with few sales and no one else to recruit.
The people the other night were trying to coerce my wife to buy two bottles, at nearly $100, and potentially become a distributor. My wife balked at such a thing, largely because she knew that I would want to do some research before spending that kind of money. They ended up giving her two bottles of juice to try for free. I fear that my wife may notice a placebo effect and grow a taste for the expensive juice.
MonaVie: Perhaps not a Scam?
Is it possible that it could work? Well Wikipedia references that Red Sox players Jonathan Papelbon and J.D. Drew as fans. As Red Sox fans ourselves this is high praise. I read an article from Fortune magazine that had high praise of MonaVie coming from Sumner Redstone. That's a very influential person and a very influential magazine. I did find one scientific piece of research, a PDF by AIBMR Life Sciences (update: it seems to have been removed from the site). The clinical research shows that it does indeed deliver more antioxidants than a placebo (update: in the comments it has come out that the researcher of the study was supplying MonaVie with it's acai - sounds very biased to me). However, it doesn't compare to less costly solutions, like a multivitamin, V8 Fusion Acai Berry
Update: There have been thousands of comments here... I urge people interested in making a decision about whether to buy or sell MonaVie to read them.
Further Reading from MonaVie Scam:
- MonaVie Lies about the ORAC score of MonaVie?
- Oprah Sues MonaVie
- Men’s Journal Proves MonaVie Lacks Nutrition
- MonaVie vs. an Apple (Hint: the apple wins easily)
acai, acai scam, mona vie, mona vie scam, MonaVie, monavie scam
... and focuses on:Dumb Purchases
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3,590 Responses to “MonaVie Scam?”
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It seems that with over 3000 comments people are finding this page slow to load and difficult to leave additional comments on. You can find a nearly complete archive of comments here. and can click the "Older Comments" link above for the most recent ones. I highly recommend reading them before posting. There's a high chance your topic has been addressed already.
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Apparently MonaVie is suing Exfuze, another mlm hawking super magic all curing fruit beverages.
Can anyone see the information about the lawsuit or have access to the details?
http://www.rfcexpress.com/lawsuit.asp?id=48275
Aside from being amazingly mirror image to MonaVie, they even have a foreign kids’ charity going, I don’t know why MonaVie would sue unless the founders of Exfuze were somehow involved with MonaVie or they raided MonaVie’s distributorships.
Here is the link to Exfuze. There are many links to follow once there, but be aware that every single tab you click on will begin a new video, so if you’re not careful you can have several videos running at once. Exfuze seems to be rather video happy. http://rebecca.iexfuze.net/opportunity/index.html
The compensation plan is pretty special as well. Love how they even have the pyramid drawn right out, no use trying to hide it, LOL!
http://www.myexfuzeoffice.com/presentation/
It’s a scam based on your point of view. For me, it’s a health decision. Free to sign-up as a distributor. It’s expensive but this stuff does help me with some stomach problems that I have. I could either eat better or drink a little juice, I will drink the juice. I did some heavy research on the Monavie product and I am very impressed. The MLM side of things I am less happy with but I decided to give Monavie a try. I have been on the product for several months now and my health and energy has significantly improved.
[Editor's Note: Russ' distributor number deleted]
Russ said:
I did some heavy research on the Monavie product and I am very impressed.
Russ, please link the “heavy research” that you done to this blog. We would love to read it.
Also did you see the 3 test/studies done on the super juice? All 3 say that it is the same as V8 Fusion, in some cases not as good. 1 of the studies were done by MV and the results were worse than the other 2.
I find it hard to go against science/facts. Dont you?
Do you have some facts that we dont know about, if so, please post
Dont forget, this site is about finding out why MV juice is 10x more than a product (V8 Fusion) yet science has proven to be no better than. After 3000 posts NO ONE can explain that 1 question, that is just 1 question. Now, how can so many pro MVer’s stand behind a product, yet they can not answer just 1 of our questions? Will you be the team leader and do it?(without testimonies that it) I dont think so, but we look forward to your comments!!!
If you want some HEAVY RESEARCH on MV, I suggest that you go back an read the posts on this blog. It wont be pretty but at least you will know that all you have been drinking is REALLY, REALLY expensive white grape juice, (test confirmed)
The facts about MV juice are pretty amazing. (if you compair those facts to air:(
Russ also said:
It’s a scam based on your point of view.
No Russ, this is based on the view of FACTS, nothing more, nothing less. Once again, if you have some FACTS that have not been posted, please post away. Good luck.
BTW: here is something to think about….
1st test MV juice, it’s worthless.
2nd test same as 1st.
3rd test same as 1st and 2nd test.
Not happy with the 3 studies on the MV super juice/food, Russ does a 4th test and is totally shocked that the results are the same as tests 1,2& 3 !!!!!
Please use LOGIC RUSS!
Hi pals,
Just want to let you know that I drank both MonaVie and the other acai berry drinks (including something-fuze) and they do NOT come close to the MonaVie quality.
These other brands are more like clarified grape juice, while MonaVie is 100% fruit juice, and you can literally see the acai OILS in MonaVie, but not the other products. Not to mention the acai pieces.
Hope that helps!
And you know these things you see are acai OILS and pieces…how? And you determined the quality of these juices… how?
Rykel,
Aside from the questions Michael asks you, I think the jury is still out on the actual percentage of fruit juice in MonaVie. Certainly, the nutrition label on the bottle doesn’t reflect much actual fruit content.
I guess you missed Amthrax’ post about MonaVie’s Math Problem…but then, so did most MonaVie distributors. Most of you sorta just ignored it altogether….but it is pretty darn telling.
http://amthrax.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/repost-monavies-math-problem/
Pretty sure that Food Tech will disagree with you on the 100% juice comment.
And you have zero proof of the actual contents in any of MonaVie’s juice beverages.
So, if you think the other brands are “more like clarified grape juice”, I submit that MonaVie is more like clarified grape/apple/pear juice with some chunks o’gunk tossed in to make it appear as though it’s something special.
And I’d be just as qualified to make that statement as you are to make yours.
I think Candace said it well.
As for whether MonaVie is 100% juice or not: Look on the nutrition facts label. When a company makes a juice percentage claim, they state the percent on the top of the statement – left side.
As you can see, there is no claim as to percentages. MonaVie is wise not to make the claim, as being found guilty of label deceit, would be very serious. Besides, the distributors can make the claim with immunity.
Rykel said:
Hope that helps!
Yes Rykel, your post cleared everything up for us. MV people use “visual science” for facts. Did you ever think that the stuff you see floating around could be little pieces of grapes…… isn’t there like 19 different fruits in the super juice?
You also forgot to give us your testimony and fremind everyone to have a blessed day. These are MVer’s trademarks.
j-man says: July 2, 2009 at 4:46 am
Yes Rykel, your post cleared everything up for us. MV people use “visual science” for facts. Did you ever think that the stuff you see floating around could be little pieces of grapes…… isn’t there like 19 different fruits in the super juice?
You also forgot to give us your testimony and fremind everyone to have a blessed day. These are MVer’s trademarks.
>> What a simpleton this jman guy is. And these are lazy man blogger’s trademarks.
I see amthrax is sniffing around this blog now, trying to get ANYONE to read his dying blog. We should have a pool, see which mlm hate blog dies first, amthrax or lazy man.
Hey Tony:
What right do you have to call anyone names? You have no manners and poor netiquette.
Here’s something for you and your buddies to read. Be prepared, you may find you’re holding a mirror.
30 Typical MLM Misrepresentations by Jon M. Taylor, MBA, Ph.D.
http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/30typicalMLMmisrepresentations.htm
Tony, you might want to do some reading of the site before you say what “lazy man blogger’s trademarks” are or before you classify this as a “mlm hate blog.”
There are over 1000 posts in this blog and only two refer to MonaVie. Less than 5 refer to MLM at all. That’s less than 1%. At least 20% of this blog is about exploring ways of saving people money – that includes this blog post.
What a simpleton this jman guy is. And these are lazy man blogger’s trademarks.
Hey Tony, thanks for the comment! Now can you answer ANY of the questions that have been ask for the pro MVer’s? Or (like the rest of you guys) will you only cut and run…….
By Jon M. Taylor, MBA, Ph.D.
I have examined the compensation plans of more than 250 leading MLMs and found that virtually all hide the near-zero odds of making a profit, and in fact almost certain loss. Here are the typical ways they exaggerate to new recruits.
This guy does not know what he is talking about. I bet he has never read one of those amazing life changing testimonies!!!!
Probably not even a real doctor, he most likely wrote this because he failed in the MLM business. Bottom line, he just did not BELIEVE…
“Superjuices” don’t come close when comparing costs for antioxidants. Example: A day’s serving of MonaVie (4 oz.) is $7.20 ($45/bottle) or as low as $3.20 a day (at $20 – distributor’s cost) A single Delicious Red Apple costs about $0.75
For MonaVie,that gives you a ORAC of 2,698 umoles (29.57 ml per oz times 4 oz.times 22.81 according to AIBMR). That also gives you a total phenolics (all antioxidants) for the day, of 175 mg. for 4 oz.
The 22.81 ORAC and 1.48 mg phenolics are from the MonaVie-sponsored study by AIBMR Life Sciences.
Now compare it to a SINGLE Red Delicious Apple. Average weight 150 gms.
Total ORAC per apple: 6,413 umoles. (42.75 umoles times 150 gms)
Total phenolics (total antioxidants): 520 mg per apple. Apple data from USDA ORAC Table of Selected Foods – 2007
SUMMARY: ORAC: MonaVie 2,698 Apple 6,413
PHENOLICS: MonaVie 175 mg Apple 520 mg
COST: MonaVie $3.20 to $7.20 per day Apple $0.75/day
Once again Food Tech you have given excellent facts about this over rated, over priced white grape juice. But do not fear I am sure one of the MVer’s will post about how this drink has done some sort of miracle for themselves or a loved one.
Who would you believe, science or testimony? I guess that would depend on what your down line is…….
I guess that would depend on what your down line is…….
Or what your “bottom line” will be…..
After reading the FACTS on MV juice, one would have to be stupid to waste money on buying it. And a Distributer would have to be heartless to continue selling it.
I wonder if this site & people like Lab Tech even realizes that even with all the bad stuff they say about Monavie the company still puts in over 100k people per month and is doing over 30 million A MONTH! It’s so funny to see 10 nats trying to stop a elephant!
Hey Achilles,
1. Can you back up your statement with proof? Show us the 100k people.
2. Can you prove that MonaVie is doing over 30 million dollars in product sales a month?
3. How many MonaVie distributors quit every month? What is the attrition rate?
Typical of a MonaVie distributor to just come on here regurgitating half truths they’ve been told, without ever, even once, taking the time to see if what they are repeating is fact, fiction, or propaganda being fed to them by greedy money loving scammers.
Your previous comment is your opinion alone and your reasoning is faulty. I could just as easily take your comments and apply them to something else and then it will be easy to see the failure of your logic.
Like this: The meth dealer on the corner downtown says ‘huh, sure is funny….even with all the bad stuff they say about crack, people are still lining up to buy it. My network of dealers tells me that I am still gaining 100k new addicts a month, and all of us combined are making 30 million a month!!! It’s so funny to see the 10 gnats that are the local law enforcement trying to stop this elephant!’
Bad is bad, wrong is wrong, illegal is illegal. Misleading, misrepresenting, lying, sticking your head in the sand, scamming other people, looking for an easy way to make a buck off unsuspecting unhealthy consumers….all of that is wrong.
MonaVie distributors seem to be under the false impression that “Johnny did it, so I can, too!!” Whoever or whatever your personal “Johnny” may be.
Two wrongs do not make a right.
Never have, never will.
Achilles said:
“It’s so funny to see 10 nats trying to stop a elephant!”
Kinda like David and Goliath?
The small amount of right trying to wake up the mass amount of stupid folks…..(like you)
You state that there are soooo many people selling the juice, yet you dont even have any facts to back that statement up, sounds like another stupid dist. trying to use BS claims to pad his/her pocket.
Achilles, do you have ANY factt? Let me guess, you dont need facts, just crap that cant be proven.
Will you give us one of your testimonies, I am sure this will “speak volumes” about the juice.
The analogy by Achilles about gnats (correct spelling) and elephants leads me to my next farm report: Today’s contestant: PEANUTS
ORAC SCORE: MonaVie: 22.81 umoles/ml
Peanuts: 31.66 umoles/gm
TOTAL PHENOLICS MonaVie: 1.48 mg/ml
Peanuts: 3.96 mg/gm
MonaVie Data from AIBMR Study (Sponsored by MonaVie)
Peanut Data from USDA ORAC Table of Selected Foods – 2007
Looks like MonaVie may be the Los Angeles Clippers of the antioxidant league.
Once again can any of you pro MVer’s explain why someone should spend there money on this over priced white grape juice? It has been over 3000 posts and the only think you have been able to offer up is some stupid ass testimonies.
I think this guy is a retarded because i’ve been in monavie for 8 months now and im at bronze level making more then what im paying for so if you wanna join and learn the real way to make money e mail me [removed by editor - this isn't about making money]
thx. Zach
This Guy,
Are we retarded because after looking at the FACTS, 3 tests have proven that the juice you are selling is nothing more than white grape juice. Yea 3 different tests, 1 of them from MV!
Are we retared because we ask questions as to why anyone should pay such a price for this juice? If you would go back and read some earlier posts you will see that 90% of the people selling MV juice make lower than min. wage.
So is that what makes us retarded, that we believe the FACTS about the juice and the company. Or that we dont believe all the testimonies?
Do you not care that you are selling over priced white grape juice to your friends and family???? Or are you really “just in it for the money”
But just for fun why dont you tell us the “real way to make money”
Wow, Zach…it took you 8 months to make more than what the juice costs you for your own personal use. Impressive business model you have there.
I think you’ve just violated the terms of your MonaVie contract. When ever you post income claims you have to reference this:
http://media.monavie.com/pdf/corporate/income_disclosure_statement.pdf
From the looks of that, your business model is not so impressive now.
This could explain the absence of certain MonaVie proponents that used to comment here regularly.
Can’t imagine Doin’ Research, Monavie User, or Joe-Happy would want us to know who they really are…or MonaVie corporate to know who they really are, either.
New Policies and procedures directly from MonaVie’s “On the Move” media center:
http://monaviemediacenter.com/?p=2683
Testimonies and medical claims galore for anyone keeping track.
http://living.health.com/2009/05/20/cheryl-burke-healthy-life/
Candace, I didn’t get to the third link yet, but wow is that new social media interesting.
To me, the biggest thing is that they are finally cracking down on testimonials. Hmm, perhaps they are realizing that distributors can’t be responsible walking the line and have gotten calls from the Feds? I’m sure there are other reasons, but I can’t think of any off the top of me head.
In any event, this is a good thing for all parties. It’s the first sign I’ve seen that MonaVie is at least attempting to make the cats “herdable”. If a distributor makes a bad claim, there should be an easy form where I can report him/her (we’ll see if they do that). I’m sure there will still be bad apples, but I’ll take any steps in the right direction at this point, even if it’s just posing as caring.
I wonder if those forums that we’ve seen giving the testimonies have died down.
Oh, I also love the line here: “Please note that our policy regarding online auctions remains the same; that’s one place where we definitely don’t want you sharing the berries!”
So much for sharing the fruit, right? Looks like people are still selling though.
It’s also good to know that since Craigslist isn’t an online auction (and online auctions are “the one place” that’s prohibited), it’s a fine MonaVie-approved place for distributors to sell the juice.
You can say anything you want about MV juice. Just as long as what you say doesn’t include anything about the 3 tests/studies. Nor can you question the thousands of testimonies.
You can say that “you dont like it” or “it wasn’t for you”
But you damn sure better not say the TRUTH!
This seems to be the most distributors take. Am I wrong???
Candance, in responce to your Testimonies and medical claims galore.
After reading 15 or so of them, it seems to be the SAME thing! Distributors online giving testimonies about the amazing life changing juice and then of course a phone # or email or web page where you can buy this crap from them!
Just more BS from the BS group!!!!
I got an interesting email from my contact form last night. Of course it’s a testimonial and I’m not sure I have permission to share the name so I won’t. It’s probably not worth giving more weight than any other testimonials here, except that it seems to follow logic – the results are explainable… rather than other testimonials that come with far-fetched, unexplained effects.
This woman said:
Oh LM, this women is just mad BC she couldnt make any money selling the juice! Well that is what the pro MVer’s will say!
Damn it, why didnt she “just believe”! Why cant we all just believe. Maybe in the new health care system the gov. has allocated some borrowed funds to supply EVERY american (well everyone that lives here) enough MV juice each month. That way no one will even need to go to the doctor, that is unless they are not drinking their required daily amount….
The Acai berry is just like every other berry. Its like me going somewhere and finding the blueberry and since it’s not well known over here completely blow its healing energies out proportion and since everyone is a sucker in the United States they’ll believe it. I am studying for my degree in nutrition, and the only way anyone can get any nutritional value from any berry is when its fresh off the vine. So, when they tell us that it goes through this freeze dried process, its losing all of its nutrients! Basically, the only way your going to receive any benefits from the Acai berry is if it is growing in your own back yard!
P.S. everyone who comes on here and tries to good talk the Monavie crap is obviously a distributor because no person that doesn’t work for them would purposefully type in “Monavie Scam” on Google to try and find forums to good talk it.
thieves!
The Woman who had 2 daughters on MonaVie spent $500.00 a month. Why? Her 2 daughters could’ve split one case per month of Monavie original for $132.00.Children’s recommended serving is half of what adults should take.She could’ve saved lots of money.On a personal note I have Lyme disease and I’d rather take Monavie every day than pop Advils when I get Lyme symptoms.It makes me feel great.
Where are these 3 tests that you are proudly boasting? I see none of you posted that..
Mike said: “On a personal note I have Lyme disease and I’d rather take Monavie every day than pop Advils when I get Lyme symptoms. It makes me feel great.”
Mike, do us all a favor and keep your fantasies about Monavie treating diseases to yourself. We’ve heard these kinds of claims before and it’s obvious BS; at the very least it’s misleading – at worst it’s a violation of federal law. In either case, it’s incredible and incredibly irresponsible.
Mike said: “Where are these 3 tests that you are proudly boasting? I see none of you posted that.”
First of all, Mike, we have posted them and discussed them — ad nauseum. Secondly, your misplaced accusation and sneering tone (ie, that we are “proudly boasting”) tends to characterize you as just another hostile, dishonest Monavie spammer, and we’ve had way too many of those already. We aren’t “proudly boasting” about the studies; they exist and they show what they show. Whatever happened to due diligence and humility? Next time, look for the answers to your questions among the previous posts before you shoot from the hip, unless you want to be perceived as a peevish dick. I have no patience whatsoever for this kind of behavior; and you can save us all the feigned indignation that I’m sure you’d like to include in your follow-up post. I’ll preempt this by telling you upfront that I don’t care what you think about me – it’s irrelevant – so do us all a favor and just stick to the facts about Monavie.
The tests in question were: (1) the study published by AIBMR/Monavie LLC (Jenssen et al. 2008), which showed that juice had a mediocre ORAC score, low levels of polyphenols and proanthocyanadins, and didn’t raise serum ORAC scores (measured by Brunswick Labs); (2) the Men’s Journal report of an analysis conducted by Chromadex Labs showing that Monavie had lower levels of polyphenols, anthocyaninins, and vitamin C than ordinary grape and apple juices, and; (3) the analysis by Chromadex Labs commissioned by Food Tech (one of the participants in this forum), which showed that Monavie had low polyphenol levels. Reference values for other fruits and juices are available from the USDA and have been discussed in great detail in relation to Monavie already on this forum. The evidence consistently shows that Monavie is at best a nutritionally mediocre product with unremarkable antioxidant activity – certainly not worth the $45 price tag.
Vogel already beat me to much of the analysis that I was going to go with, so instead I’ll just give this…
Mike, the woman was clearly given bad information about MonaVie – or else she wouldn’t have bought it to treat autism. The question is why would she even pay $132 a month for something does not provide any known benefit? The answer was clearly that she was misled about MonaVie and it’s ability to treat diseases. Otherwise, she would have been just as well off buying caviar for even higher prices… or maybe cranberry juice for lower prices. Unless there’s some proven reason to believe that one is better for autism (or even any disease), the best choice is to go with recognized healthy diets (i.e. whole fruits and vegetables instead of juices) and medicines that have shown some clinical ability to help treat autism (not sure if any are available or not).
Also MonaVie’s label doesn’t say anything about the “children’s recommended serving size.” One is left to conclude that it’s the same for all. After all, it’s just a juice – it’s not medicine. Does the standard serving size for orange juice change for adults and children? I’m not sure it does.
LM, I agree with your comment about the alleged “Children’s recommended serving” size. The company has never ever mentioned anything about this in any of the thousands of documents and webpages I’ve looked at. Mike is either making it up as he goes along or he’s spreading someone else’s BS.
The bottle says 1-2 oz. recommended serving size.We recommend that children take 1 oz. twice daily.Cost is one factor.Would you expect a 6 year old to eat as much fruit and vegetables as an adult to get the nutrition they need? I think not.How much of the juice was she giving them? Was she told to give them more than 4 oz. per day? You didn’t give us all the facts. You can’t prove she was misled purposely unless her distributor told her to make them drink half a bottle a day or something.Kids have less body weight in general and 2 oz. per day should be more than enough for them.That’s my point.As for my”fantasy” about treating diseases I don’t care what you think.I was tested %100 for Lyme disease and I haven’t taken any medications for 8 months since I’ve been drinking MonaVie. You figure it out.Not making any claims just stating the facts.I looked for your study at Chromadex Labs.You have a link?
Mike there is nothing on the bottle that implies that children’s and adults serving sizes should be different. If that’s the case one should expect the bottle to make that clarification. I realize that real estate on a bottle might be limited (though it’s certainly possible to do this), but at the very least it could point to where on MonaVie’s website it says this.
“Was she told to give them more than 4 oz. per day? You didn’t give us all the facts.”
That’s entirely the point. Where on MonaVie’s website are the facts? We can’t seem to find them. It’s all passed down from above to the point where people are not getting the proper information – and MonaVie makes little effort to put the proper information out there.
“Would you expect a 6 year old to eat as much fruit and vegetables as an adult to get the nutrition they need?”
Would you expect MonaVie to provide ANY of the fruits and vegetables that either a 6 year old or adult eat to get the nutrition he/she needs? The answer, EVEN IF YOU ASK MONAVIE, is “NO.” Scroll down to Archived Comment #472 and read MonaVie corporate response if you don’t believe me.
“You can’t prove she was misled purposely unless her distributor told her to make them drink half a bottle a day or something.”
I can prove that she was trying to drink MonaVie to help with Autism, which is not the thought that someone comes up with on their own. It doesn’t say it on the bottle anywhere. You simply don’t invent this kind of stuff any more than I would invent that eating my chair would make me live forever.
“Kids have less body weight in general and 2 oz. per day should be more than enough for them. That’s my point.”
Enough to do what? What should she have expected to see?
A Chromadex Study is here.
The other is done by a user here and on other forums – named Food Tech. He’s offered the study in PDF form which a number of MonaVie distributors and detractors here have read.
Even if you discount that one, since it’s not publicly available, the AIBMR one shows a number of inconsistencies.
Your fantasy about lyme disease can be chalked up to placebo effect. For all you know a pill with no nutrients would produce the same result. You have no more reason to connect it to MonaVie than say a groundhog in PA seeing it’s shadow.
Mike said:” “We recommend that children take 1 oz. twice daily.”
Who is “we”…you??? And why are you recommending that kids drink a preservative-laced $45 a bottle fruit punch with a weak antioxidant and nutritional profile? You sure aren’t doing those kids any favors by potentially predisposing them to benzoate allergy and cancer.
Mike said:”I haven’t taken any medications for 8 months since I’ve been drinking MonaVie. You figure it out.”
Since you invited me to figure it out, here is what I concluded based on commonsense and knowledge about the product:
1. You are lying, or…
2. You are grossly mistaken in attributing therapeutic properties to Monavie when it in fact it has none, and…
3. You are breaking the law by implying that Monavie has therapeutic properties and can substitute for approved medications
Mike,
LM has already indicated where you can find the Men’s Journal analysis.
You can find the study sponsored by MonaVie, directed by AIBMR Life Sciences (Dr. Schauss) at:
http://www.aibmr.com/news/pdfs/antioxidant-juice.pdf
Reference table #1. Note the ORAC score (combined is 22.81 umoles) and the total phenolics (1.48 mg/ml)
Go on-line and find the USDA ORAC Table of Selected Foods – 2007. You can find page after page of fruits, vegetables, and other foods with higher ORAC scores and levels of total phenolics.
As for the analysis that I paid for, conducted by Chromadex, you can request a copy at Foodtech101@Yahoo.com
Poor Mike, sounds like the Lyme’s has gotten the best of you! What a tardo!!!
I’m curious as to your thoughts, especially those of food tech, regarding the following video, in particular the length of time it would take to do a study. What is the proper study that should be done and how long would it take? Thoughts on the rest of the video would be welcomed also.
thanks
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7167648952538700008
doin the math,
I actually watched the entire video, corny jokes and all.
First, I’m not a medical scientist, and I’ve never tried to get a food product approved as a drug. My understanding is it usually takes about 10 years (not 15 as quoted by Dr. Carson) to get a drug approved.
Almost, half of that time would be in testing and clinical studies to prove that the product is safe.
Since, MonaVie has been consumed as a food/supplement for several years, I believe most of that requirement would be waived.
MonaVie can request to expedite the clinical studies based on compassion, i.e. the number of anecdotal claims is overwhelming that the product treats or cures a condition that causes severe distress (arthritis, cancer, etc..)
Will they do this? No way. If the studies prove otherwise, which they would, then the system of marketing by word of mouth would end.
I’d like to point out a couple of things that Dr. Carson glossed over:
1) He raves about the power of antioxidants and Orac values, but neglects to mention that MonaVie is less than spectacular in this department.
2) He said that all polyphenols are pigments, which is incorrect. All pigments are polyphenols.
3) He brags about the high levels of anthocyanins (pigments) in MonaVie, which is absurd. The test that I paid for found 0.095 mg/ml of anthocyanins in the juice. Very low.
4) He said that the 1/10th of 1% of sodium benzoate is way below the maximum level allowed by law. Not true. For beverages, this is the maximum amount allowed.
5) He Indicated that the preservatives are required to prevent food poisoning. If this was the case, we would require it for milk, bottled water, and other products. The benzoate is added to prevent bacterial spoilage, the sorbate is added to prevent spoilage from yeasts.
He indicates that benzoate is found in many natural fruits. That may be (as benzoic acid), but in this case it’s considered an additive, as is the potassium sorbate, citric acid, and the natural flavors.
After watchin the video.
Car salesman/MV salesman
different names, same intention… sell, sell, sell.
With 1 difference, car salesman/women dont tell you that by driving 1 or 2 miles a day, your new car will cure your arthritis or cancer!!!!!!
Who knows, maybe I would see the video different if I were sitin back in my LazyBoy chair with a “fresh” bottle of MV juice!!!!! After all, that shit seems to just melt away logic, fact, proof and reasoning…..
This was a interesting post that I found online. Just wanted to share it.
(For all the right reasons!)
MLM companies have always facinated me. They promise so much, are always different from their predecessors, and never require more than 3-4 hours a week. The truth is things are much more complicated this. First, let’s look at MonaVie’s product.
I have no doubt that the acai berry is an excellent nutritional source for antioxidants. However, the acai berry just like any berry is always best fresh and raw. Anytime that you process a berry, fruit, etc… you remove a significant portion of the nutritional value. Don’t get fooled into the idea that a processed acai berry at $28.00/bottle somehow has more nutritional value than a raw blueberry from your grocer or any other berry for that matter. It simply isn’t true. Eventually, supply chain logistics will figure out a way to freeze the product and get it into your grocers frozen section. If the market is there I guarantee that larger corporations will figure this out.
Now to the MLM side of the business. It has always fascinated me how individuals who choose to represent an MLM product do not realize that they have turned into a walking commerical for their product. Everywhere they go and everyone they talk to they shout claims of “all the money I’ve made”, “it’s really different from Amway, Shaklee, MaryKay, etc….” or the best of all “all you do is use the product and get your friends to use it” it’s just that easy!
This is all nonsense. Have people ever stopped to think how much money they are making the company’s management??? Are these people somehow just tremendous benefactors of society and are passing on the golden key to wealth because they are nice people and want everyone to succeed??? NO! The truth is they are preying on every human’s weaknesses – wealth, security, etc… MLM business could care less if they are selling sacks of cement, dishwashing soap or hemmoroid creme. All they have to do is set up the pyramid to carry the product. It is only a more elaborate Ponzi scheme. Think about it!
Lastly management will always purport the idea that instead of pushing the product through major retail outlets they want individuals to personally benefit. This couldn’t be further from the truth. They have only shifted their marketing expenses from the television and magazines to the individual (who they will obviously pay if they move the product). People please stop the insanity and realize these MLM companies for what they are. An elaborate Ponzi scheme.
Doin the Math said: “I’m curious as to your thoughts, especially those of food tech, regarding the following video, in particular the length of time it would take to do a study. What is the proper study that should be done and how long would it take? Thoughts on the rest of the video would be welcomed also.”
My impression of Carson’s video was that is was a useless pile of vague BS peppered with bad jokes, inaccurate scientific statements, and misleading implications about the product. Most of what Carson said in this video had absolutely nothing to do with Monavie.
Re: The FDA Drug Approval Process
Why is Carson even talking about the drug approval process? It’s not applicable to Monavie. There is no effort being made to submit Monavie through the FDA approvals process; instead the product is being marketed as a drug, but the company has simply ignored federal regulations in doing so. The company hasn’t published a single piece of research that would meet the FDA’s evidentiary standards for drug approval, nor would it seem that they ever intend to.
What really incenses me about this is that the company executives claim that they don’t make disease claims about Monavie and that they discourage their distributors from doing so, but that they can’t really do anything to control it. And yet every time I look at a Monavie video, it features someone talking about cancer and inflammation (in this video, it’s a company executive). The company is sending out mixed signals– on purpose!
Re: “Scientist”
Carson refers to himself a s a scientist. In fact, he is not even close to earning such a distinction. He has 1 published research paper to his credit (a 13-year old study on which he was a tertiary author – “Nutritional status and lipid profiles of trained steroid-using bodybuilders’ Int J Sport Nutr. 1996;6:247-54). He therefore lacks the necessary credentials to call himself a scientist – he clearly is not.
…I’m now 10 minutes into the video and he still hasn’t talked about Monavie…
Re: Free Radicals
Carson says: “Free radicals are basically unpaired electrons…”
False. A free radical is not basically an unpaired electron; an unpaired electron would be known as a “free electron” or simply “an electron” Free radials are chemical species which have an unpaired electron, but they also have nuclei with protons and neutrons and can exist either as atoms (like singlet oxygen) or as molecules (like superoxide, nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, etc.)
Carson says: “We know that there are 6 reactive oxygen species, 4 of which we can measure.”
False. There are a lot more than 6 – there are hundreds if not thousands, and far more than 4 of these ca be measured. Carson demonstrates that knowledge about free radicals is seriously deficient.
Re: Cancer
Why is Carson talking about cancer? Cancer has nothing to do with Monavie and by mentioning it in the same breath as Monavie he is misleadingly implying that Monavie has anticancer properties. He also implies that Monavie can prevent or alleviate inflammation. There is no evidence that it does. He misleadingly sets the stage for illegal claims about Monavie having anti-inflammatory properties.
Re: Sodium benzoate
Food Tech’s analysis of Carson’s comments about benzoate was correct. Carson made the following misstatement about the amount of benzoate in Monavie
Carson says: “It is less that 1/10th of 1% which is way below the maximum allowed by law.”
In fact, 1/10th of 1% (0.1%) is the MAXIMUM allowed by law; in other words, Monavie contains the maximum legally allowable concentration of benzoate.
Carson also claims that the amount of benzoate in cranberries exceeds the legally allowable limit. There is no solid scientific evidence that supports this statement. In fact, I did a quick literature search and found one study (J Chromatogr A. 2000;883:299-304) which detected benzoate in cranberries at a concentration of only 0.015% — this is roughly 1/7th of the legal benzoate limit (and 1/7th of the benzoate concentration in Monavie).
Conclusion: Carson, a Monavie execuive, is not a scientist as he claims to be in this video. His comments indicate that he is incapable of providing accurate information about free radicals and sodium benzoate, and he sets the stage for illegal/misleading health claims in regard to Monavie. I cannot escape the conclusion that Carson is a hack and a self-serving, lying, and a-hole.
Let’s also bear in mind that Carson received two degrees from Donsbach “University”, one of the most notorious and disreputable diploma mills in history.
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/donsbachuniversity.html
Doin’ The Math:
We have seen and discussed this video at length previously. It’s a hack job, and anyone watching it for more than a few minutes should be able to pick up on that.
I am curious as to your motives here.
You tell us you’re “Doin’ The Math”, but I think you’re looking for a justification as to why you should “do MonaVie”.
There is none.
If you were truly “Doin’ The Math” you would have more than figured that out by now. The math and science behind MonaVie do not add up to anything other than a pretty wine bottle full of over hyped over priced watered down preservative laced fruit juice products and a bunch of people that spend way too much on this product only to line the pockets of the 0.01% of the distributors that either made a sweetheart deal with Dallin himself, or were somehow already involved with Dallin.
Certainly, after all these months, you have had time to “do the math”. Why are you still playin’ around in the mud hole tryin’ to convince yourself it’s the Caribbean?
Monavie Greed
Just fund a couple of interesting new details behind the scenes at Monavie.
First, I found out that Monavie has sponsored a wakeboarder named Rain Merritt. http://monaviemediacenter.com/?p=3090
http://www.raimimerritt.com/bio.html
http://www.stevemerritt.com/monavie.html
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Rain is the 16-year old daughter of Monavie senior executive Steve Merritt. The next time you look at the IDS and wonder why 90% of Monavie’s distributors are making less than minimum wage, think nepotism. Steve Merritt is taking money off the top and giving it straight to his own daughter. Isn’t he a crooked piece of $hit?
Secondly, just found this gem from Dallin Larceny’s blog; “We’re heading to Nantucket tomorrow for the day, to spend some time on the Yacht trip with Brig and Lita and Steve and Gina. One of the perks in MonaVie is that when you reach Imperial, we’ll take you on an exclusive yacht trip.”
http://monaviemediacenter.com/?page_id=2673
But who has reached Imperial so far? The answer is Brigg Hart and Steve Merritt. Only these 2 executive distributors at the top of the company, who were in on the ground floor, benefit from these yacht trip perks. If I were a distributor I would burn down HQ after finding this out. A bunch of greedy pigs exclusively gorging at a trough filled by the wasted efforts and stolen dreams of more than 70,000 distributors.
Dr. Rashid Buttar — Latest Inductee Into the Monavie Hall of Shame
Juts found another example of a blatant conman under the employ of Monavie. His name is Rashid Buttar and he is a Blue Diamond executive. He is now infamous for his questionable medical practies (ie, administering bogus, discredited snake oil therapies to cancer patients and autistic children). He is currently facing charges for “practicing below acceptable and prevailing standards of medical practice as to four patients and in a manner as to exploit the patients” by the North Carolina Medical Board, which hopefully will result in indefinite suspension of his medial license and restitution to his victims.
This guy is a greedy, thieving, heartless a-hole and, to no one’s surprise, he’s a Monavie executive! He is just the kind of pond scum that would be welcomed by the thieves and whores at Monavie.
http://glsuite.ncmedboard.org/DataTier/Documents/Repository/0/0/7/6/c5d768f2-e46b-4de9-876c-d006b1e53a2d.pdf
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/buttar/complaint.shtml
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/10/dr_rashid_buttar_wants_you_to_ask_him_a.php
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/04/rashid_buttars_going_down.php
http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/?p=383
http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=100388
Vogel – Thanks for these links. I had first read about Dr. Buttar on the MonaVie Media Center website:
http://monaviemediacenter.com/?page_id=3033
But the links you shared show a much different side to Dr. Buttar!
I have to say this…I work at a restaurant where obnoxious, manipulating liars congregate every few months…I’m of course referring to the awful pain in the ass distributors of Monavie. What bombarding a-holes. I asked for a tiny sample and they no sooner shoved forms down my throat and within 90 seconds tried to getme to buy a case for around $140 and give them my social security number! Give me a break. Your juice sucks and all you have to do is Google “Monavie comparison” and there are a ton of articles comparing the contents and quality of various anti-oxident “miracle drinks” to Monavie and MonaVie fails continuously. Unless that test was “Which juice is the biggest rip off” then in that case nothing can hold the candle to MonaVie.
Luckily my opinion is shared by many considering most people see through the Monavie scam. I hardly ever see the same recruits twice. Test have proven it is no more beneficial than V8 juice and it doesn’t take rocket science to figure it out. Just read the vitamin content on the label and compare it to other juices at a FRACTION of the cost. Just because it comes with a hefty price tag doesn’t mean its worth it. JUST EAT ONE APPLE (75 cents a day) instead of drink the $7.20 daily requirement of this crap-juice. I am so tired of these distributors irritating my customers, my fellow employees as well as myself. Your juice is snake oil… nothing more! And for anyone who has been “healed” by this juice know that it is strictly placebo effect and it wouldn’t kill you to a little healthier. You simply make yourself believe you aren’t getting ripped a new one every month with your absurd over priced purchases. One guy tonight said “he knows someone (gotta love that crap) who makes $8,000 a week.” LMAO! yeah okay. I had one of the distributors get a pad & pen and draw out how it works, because they use phrases like “left & right leg” which I didn’t quite understand, and he sensed my skepticism…so he literally drew it out for me on paper…and surprise surprise the outcome was a triangle shape…once he realized that I proved my point without even saying a word he quickly said “I know it looks like a pyramid scheme but I assure you it is not”. hmmm, interesting…it LOOKS like a duck…it WALKS like a duck BUT I ASSURE YOU…..IT IS NO DUCK!
Bottom line: MonaVie sellers and buyers are suckers. They are trying to make the quick sale when in reality Mr. Monavie himself turned YOU into HIS quick sale. Way to blow $140 on grape juice. **applause** Every MonaVie distributor I’ve met (and unfortunately I’ve had the honor to have met many) are 1 of 3 things: completely uneducated on the truth behind their product, manipulative scammers…OR BOTH. I’m sure your families love having you over for holidays and get-togethers. I know I sure as hell can’t wait to see you again. Tonight was a real delight!!!!!! THANKS FOR PISSING EVERYONE OFF WITH YOUR PURPLE NIGHTMARE! <;:(
TO ALL MonaVie SELLERS: Stop making everyone obligated to hear your lame ass sales pitch, WE CAN'T STAND YOU!! GET A REAL JOB AND LEAVE EVERYONE ALONE! THE ONLY ONE GETTING RICH OFF OF MONAVIE SALES IS THE PONZI SCHEME ALMIGHTY CHIEF OF STAFF HIMSELF, DALLIN LARSEN. The sooner you realize that the better, sad fools.
i’ve found a great new restaurant to frequent
Bravo, Jen! Wonderful to see common sense weighing in once again.
Excellent post Jen; one to which we can all relate. Welcome.
I thought i’d stay away from this site but I had to comment.I did a “Google search” for “MonaVie comparisons” and all I foubd were rival juice companies stating that their product was better.Your validating a point by using other rival MLM companies own testimonials.Seems hipocritical to and again biased and misleading information.Enjoy your V8 fusion.How much do they pay you for telling others to drink their product? Zero? Oh sorry ’bout that.
Gooodbye again.
Update on Orrin Woodward Lawsuits
A couple of intersting new findings…it looks as though Orrin Woodward and his Monavie distributing pals at TEAM lost an arbitration case to Amway. The Michigan court has upheld a judgement against Woodward et al.
http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-miedce/case_no-2:2009cv12946/case_id-241261/
Interestingly, Woodward et al. are suing their insurance company for refusing to cover their out of pocket legal expenses incurred during their defense against Amway’s suit.
http://www.amquix.info/pdfs/liberty_mutual/liberty_mutual.pdf
[Editor's Note: The comment below is simply untrue... please look at the Archived Comments... 99% of the meaningful comments aren't on Wikipedia.]
Much of what I’ve read on this blog can also be found on Wikipedia. If you don’t trust a blog when pointing out Monavie is a scam, then maybe you can trust Wikipedia.
It says a lot when Wikipedia cites the same troubles Monavie is involved with that has already been covered on this blog.
Mike,
If a company gives you $1 to sell Yugos for $100,000 does that make $100,000 Yugos a good deal? No. So let me know why MonaVie isn’t a Yugo as we’ve found scientifically more nutritious juice (regular 100% grape juice) for 1/20th the price.
“Oh Sorry about that. Goodbye.”
Mike, or anyone for that matter, PROVE YOUR JUICE IS WORTH THE PRICE….how simple is that??????
Mike said:
Seems hipocritical to and again biased and misleading information.
Well why dont you just set us straight, just fill us in with the FACTS….
I tried before and all I got was name calling and that I was a liar.So why should I bother.The tests that you quote from are biased towards a competing product.Orac scores are misleading.What about phyto-sterols and phyto nutrients? These are important qualities in Mona-Vie that get overlooked.I’ve lost 20 lbs. since last November when I started drinking Mona-Vie.There’s proof in the results for me.I can only tell you how it’s helped me.I have not taken any anti-inflammatory meds for my lyme disease since then.How can this be? The only thing I’ve done differently is add MonaVie to my daily intake and cut my coffee intake by 3/4.I used 1% milk and splenda,so I don’t think my weight loss can be attributed to the coffee that much.If I didn’t have positive results,I surely wouldn’t be buying it.That’s all I’ve got to tell you.Take it or leave it.
Well, if you can show scientific facts, that would be a good start. We can’t call provable facts lies.
What’s not verifiable by anyone here is that you A) have lyme disease B) that MonaVie has anything to do with it. Scientifically, MonaVie is not shown to have the phyto-sterols and phyto-nutrients of an apple (see the Archived Comments for more information on that), so we can conclude that if that’s what you think helped you, just eat a cheap apple instead and you’ll continue to receive the same (or better) benefits.
As for weight-loss, I believe that’s got to be all placebo… I haven’t heard of one ingredient in MonaVie that has been suggested to suppress appetite or speed metabolism. If it has some ephedra or cayenne pepper in it, I could see it have something to do with weight loss.
Mike said: “I tried before and all I got was name calling and that I was a liar. So why should I bother.”
No you didn’t try Mike. All you said was that it cured your Lyme’s Disease – which, as you already know, represents and illegal marketing claim, not to mention that it’s just idiotic to believe that Monavie’s juice cures ANYTHING. Even the company denies it.
Mike: “The tests that you quote from are biased towards a competing product.”
Excuse me for not pulling punches, but you are a liar Mike, plain and simple. The tests were conducted, collectively, by AIBMR (sponsored by Monavie), Men’s Journal, and Chromadex Labs. Together they showed that Monavie had a low ORAC score and low levels of anthocyanins, proanthocyanadins, phenols, and vitamins C. None of these groups have interests in “competing products” –- that’s just a blatant lie. You are like every other distributor who wantonly tells lies, until confronted by reality, and then you deny reality!
Mike: “Orac scores are misleading.”
Only in the hands of Monavie execs and distributors, who have long been falsely claiming that Monavie has an ORAC score of 1027 and boasting that acai has the highest ORAC of any fruit or vegetable ever tested. The company made such a big deal out of ORAC scores right up until the time we posted the results of the AIBMR study showing that Monavie has a relatively low ORAC (22 units/mL). At that point, ORAC suddenly became unimportant.
Mike: “What about phyto-sterols and phyto nutrients? These are important qualities in Mona-Vie that get overlooked.”
No, they are not overlooked; you just apparently don’t know the meaning of the terms “phytonutrient” or “phytosterol”. Phytonutrients include anthocyanins, proanthocyanadins, phenols, and vitamins C – Monavie has been shown to have low levels of these compounds. The only Monavie product that has phytosterols is Monavie Pulse. The sterols are an additive and the levels in Pulse are no higher than in Minute Maid’s HeartWise OJ with sterols — which beat Monavie to market by several years and which costs about 1/20th the price.
Mike: “I’ve lost 20 lbs. since last November when I started drinking Mona-Vie. There’s proof in the results for me.”
Maybe you’re gullible enough to attribute the loss of 20 pounds to Monavie, but most people aren’t. It’s simply not a credible claim. On the other hand, maybe you are just lying. Wouldn’t that be a surprise…a lying Monavie distributor?
Mike: “I can only tell you how it’s helped me. I have not taken any anti-inflammatory meds for my lyme disease since then. How can this be?”
Why do we have to offer an explanation for your undocumented and unbelievable claim? I could just as easily say that I know people who drank Monavie and their Lyme disease got worse and they developed cancer. How can that be?
Symptoms of Lyme disease tend to resolve spontaneously after treatment – that’s a perfectly reasonable explanation, but why let reason get in the way, right?
Mike: “The only thing I’ve done differently is add MonaVie to my daily intake and cut my coffee intake by 3/4. I used 1% milk and splenda, so I don’t think my weight loss can be attributed to the coffee that much.”
Monavie would be no more likely to cause weight loss than would switching to a new brand of toilet paper. Your weight loss is attributable to one thing only – increasing the ratio of calories burned to calories consumed. It’s pretty F-ing simple, and Monavie is not part of the equation.
Dallin Larceny is a Liar…Still!
I was just reading a few new comments from Dallin Larceny. Man, this guy is such a dishonest a-hole. Dallin made the following PR statement in defense of the MLM industry:
“People have said that network marketing isn’t legitimate, but it’s a 100-year-old business. Warren Buffett even bought a direct-selling company…There are some companies that haven’t had legitimate products, and they’ve been rightfully shut down. But I’m proud of the industry I’m in. I can’t control other companies, but…”
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20090901/how-i-did-it-dallin-a-larsen-of-monavie.html
The more experienced participants in this forum will immediately recognize the glaring lie in Larsen’s comment. Namely, HE was the kingpin behind the marketing of an illegitimate product by one of the companies that was shut down. Larsen was the VP of Sales at MLM Dynamic Essentials, where HE was responsible for the company’s marketing and promotional initiatives for Royal Tongan Limu juice. Dynamic Essentials was SHUTDOWN BY THE FDA as a result of their illegal marketing of Royal Tongan Limu as a cure for diseases.
Larsen’s hypocrisy is absolutely incredible. I will give him credit for one thing though – his ability to keep a straight face while telling the most unbelievably blatant lies. He must have mastered this skill so thoroughly at Dynamic Essentials and Usana that now, lying to people is second nature. How can anyone ever believe anything that comes out of his mouth?
But wait, there’s more…Larsen, in the same interview, goes on to say:
“I can’t control other companies, but I can make sure that MonaVie operates in an exceptional manner, that we’re backing up our products, and that our distributors are not making outrageous claims.”
This cannot possibly be a truthful statement. A Newsweek article published August 2, 2008, said that Larsen “realizes that his sales team can get him in hot water with the Feds,” and in reference to distributors suspected of making false claims, Larsen said “it’s next to impossible; like herding cats.” A November 4, 2008 statement from the company claimed “many distributors, perhaps unwittingly, have engaged in methods of advertising that are in violation of MonaVie’s policies. Such actions put our business and yours at an unnecessary risk.” In a May 14, 2009 Bloomberg News article, Dallin’s brother Randy (Monavie executive vice-president and cofounder) said “the company is struggling with independent distributors who promote the juice as a miracle drug.”
http://www.newsweek.com/id/150499/page/1
http://monaviemedia.net/us/category/policies-and-procedures/
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=ai8WCgSJrhmY&refer=latin_america
So on the one hand, we have the company openly admitting that their distributors are making false/illegal claims and that they cannot be controlled, and then Dallin has the audacity to tell the lie that he “can make sure that distributors are not making outrageous claims”. One year ago, he quite clearly said the opposite — that it was “next to impossible” and “like herding cats” — and just a few months ago his brother admitted that they are struggling with the problem.
And then today we get another knucklehead showing up to claim that Monavie cures Lyme disease. Nobody associated with Monavie seems to have any compunction about lying to the public, even if that means possibly injuring or even killing people by offering up Monavie as a disease cure and encouraging it to be used as a substitute for legitimate medical therapy. I say F everybody in this organization; it’s time to flush the whole damn thing down the toilet and start putting heads on pikes. The FDA, FTC, DOJ, and/or Oprah (even Amway) are going to be meting out justice soon; of that I have no doubt.
“I was tested %100 for Lyme disease and I haven’t taken any medications for 8 months since I’ve been drinking MonaVie. You figure it out.Not making any claims just stating the facts.”
This is exactly what I stated a few weeks ago.I never used the word cure.Check the original post.You obviously like to twist people’s words around.More misleading crap from you.
At one time scientists believed the world was flat too.
Vogel,
Stop putting words in my mouth.Not once did I say Mona-Vie cured my Lyme disease.I stated that I’ve stopped taking Ibuprofin since I beagan taking Mona_vie.Cut and dried.Get your head out of your ass.
Mike said: “At one time scientists believed the world was flat too.”
When people thought the world was flat, there was no scientific method capable of proving otherwise, but the eventual proof did in fact come — as a result of science. Monavie distributors, unlike scientsts, are unable to grapple with scientific truths. You reject science (and commonsense) and stubbornly cling to your belief in disingenuous, debunked marketing myths; it’s on par with continuing to believe that the earth is flat.
Mike: “Vogel, stop putting words in my mouth. Not once did I say Mona-Vie cured my Lyme disease. I stated that I’ve stopped taking Ibuprofin since I beagan taking Mona_vie. Cut and dried.’
Actually you said, “anti-inflammatory meds”, but that’s irrelevant. You said the following:
“I can only tell you how it’s helped me. I have not taken any anti-inflammatory meds for my lyme disease since then.”
You clearly implied that Monavie was effective in your case as a treatment for Lyme disease and that it can substitute for approved medications. In the eyes of the law, it doesn’t matter whether you say the word “cure”; according to DSHEA, you cannot legally claim explicitly or implicitly that Monavie can in any way treat, cure, prevent, or mitigate the symptoms of any disease or medical condition.
If you want to clear up any ambiguity, you have the choice of any of the following options:
(a) retracting your previous illegal claim and/or stating that Monavie does NOT treat, cure, prevent, or mitigate the symptoms of Lyme disease and is NOT a substitute for approved medical therapy;
(b) providing the name and contact information of a consulting physician who can verify your case history;
(c) providing the name and contact information of an administrator at Monavie who is willing to officially approve your marketing claims.
On another site, I posted my apple vs. MonaVie comparison. The owner sent a copy to MonaVie. They actually replied! However, after a lengthy diatribe, they could not or would not dispute the fact that an apple has a higher ORAC and more phenolics than 4 oz. of MonaVie. You can read the full discussion here: http://www.monavietrainingguide.com/2009/08/monavie-vs-red-delicious-apple.html
Mike, there are many, many phytonutrients. As soon as MonaVie posts an analytical report on their product’s phytonutrient content, we can compare it to other fruits/veggies. Otherwise, all we can discuss is what was published by AIBMR.
Mike check this out
Vitaman C 150%
” ” D 100%
” ” E 100%
” ” K 30%
” ” B12 100%
” ” B6 100%
Thiamin 100%
Riboflavin 100%
Niacin 100%
Folic Acid 125%
Biotin 10%
Patothenic acid 100%
Calcium 20%
Iron 100%
Phosphorus 11%
Magnesium 25%
Zinc 75%
Selenium 80%
Copper 45%
Chromium 30%
Molybdnum 60%
Chloride 2%
Boron
Nickel
Silicon
Tin
Vanadium
Lutein
Lycopene
This is a list of supplements in a little pill I take called a Multivitamin. 300 per bottle, 1 per day so it lasts a long time. And at only 8 bucks per bottle, pretty good price.
NOW why dont you give a list of supplements that are in the mighty MV juice that we can compare to the above. Beside white grape juice.
Here is something else to think about, the folks in Brazil eat the Acai like candy, yet NO studies (that I can find, fill free to look for yourself) show that they are any better off than anyone else here in the states, how could this be?????? Are we to believe that the Acai berry only works on you???? It only makes you drop the pounds????? Placebo freako, placebo!!!!
Facts my friends, try posting facts. Not your thoughts. It may be true that you lost weight, but there are no FACTS that MV juice has anything to do with it…..
I am sure you will be like the rest of Pro MVer’s. Get mad and never post here again. Unless you have something REAL to post, dont worry…..I wont hold my breath.
Some really informative posts on here lately, great reading!
Food Tech, I have a questions about your most recent post. I went to the link you provided, and you’re right, that certainly was a long diatribe, with NO real answer from MonaVie.
My question is this: In their reply they stated that MonaVie has no added sugar. Did we not discuss at length the fact that the sugar amount has changed on the nutrition label at least once, making it certainly appear as though sugar has been added? We know that Acai is very bitter. Is my memory faulty on this, or is this not yet another instance of MonaVie being less than truthful?
Perhaps I am confusing sugar amount with the change in vitamin C, K, and Iron amounts on the label.
Not to through Candace’s question off-topic, but I think the no added sugar is a BS comment. There are a lot of juices out there that have no added sugar. It’s almost like saying that going to college is worthless because some schools aren’t good at educating… The solution is simple, don’t choose what you don’t want. There are many available without added sugar.
I see the argument that MonaVie was trying to make there with getting a whole variety of phytonutrients. However, we’ve discussed this before and V8 Fusion Acai berry and V8 Fusion Pomegranate also have a spectrum of fruit.
So if MonaVie wants to charge 10x more, they should be providing quantifiable evidence that it is better… it should be giving the whole spectrum of phytonutrients of itself and all reasonable, no sugar added, competitors.
They shouldn’t just say something like, “It will likely take many years for scientists to unravel the important effect of the myriad of phytochemicals found in foods.” Obviously they are claiming that their blend has some science to it that is better than other blends, so their scientists must have already unraveled the optimal proportions of phytochemicals we should consume and adjusted the juice accordingly. Instead they more or less say that they don’t know which amounts to, “We just guessed at some stuff and put it in a bottle.”
LazyMan, I agree wholeheartedly with your comment directly above mine. I don’t see the sugar comment as being particularly relevant, but it caught my attention as I am pretty sure we’ve discussed the added sugar at length before.
I also thought it was interesting that MonaVie, in their letter posted on the link FoodTech gave us, referenced the In Vitro/In Vivo testing, but failed to mention that they front loaded that test by giving a double “dose” of MonaVie, and then ended the test after only 2 hours. Once again, picking and choosing the amount of factual info they give out, and also taking info out of context to support their position. I did see that Food Tech reminded them of exactly that omission in a follow-up comment.
Candace, you have a good memory. The old MonaVie label showed a total sugars of 4 grams. Now, it’s 3 grams. Back in the days when I worked in a fruit juice lab, we were concerned with the brix to acid ratio when finishing a batch of juice. Fruits vary quite a bit on their sweetness(brix) and tartness (acid). The person blending the mixture would bring in a sample to the lab when it was about 90% complete. We would then make batch corrections based on brix (corrected with sugars), titratable acid (corrected with citric acid) and of course, water. Unless MonaVie somehow is able to purchase 19 fruits that are always exactly the same (no way), then they must use the same correction methods or have batches that taste different. We see citric acid on the label, so that is a strong indicator. Naturally, they left out water from the label, but I’d stake my reputation, that it’s the number one ingredient. Juices like orange and grape, that use only one fruit are much easier to adjust using only water.
As for the phytonutrients, we see how they jumped away from bragging about ORAC and antioxidants, when it was shown that there is nothing to brag about. They have little data on the phytonutrient content of their juice, since there are thousands of them. So, to try to suggest that MonaVie has more phytonutrients than common produce is without scientific merit.
Just do the math people!
If you run the numbers from the Income Disclosure Statement found on the Monavie website you will find that this is a bad deal for a vast majority of the distributors. You don’t start making any money until you get to the Star 500 level which only 10% of distributors maintain. At this level you only earn $4,095 on average a year while working an average of 520 hours. This comes out to $7.88 per hour which sounds pretty bad but it gets even worse when you include the required purchasing of the product which costs something like $30 per week or $1,560 per year for distributors because they get a discount (It may be more than this but I’m trying to be generous). So after you pay for your product you only earn $2,535 per year which adds up to $4.88 per hour. Keep in mind that only 10% of distributors reach this level.
So what would you say if I offered you a 1 in 10 chance to earn $4.88 an hour?
The next level is the Star 1000 where you can earn $14.38 on average but you only have a 4% chance of reaching this level.
One level up from that is the Bronze level where you can make $30.18 an hour on average but you only have a 2% chance of reaching this level.
I think you can all see where this is going. I’ll also mention that if you are just starting out that you have an even lower chance of attaining these levels because of the structure of the binary model. The people at the top have already staked their position and unless you believe that the market has room for infinite growth you are not going to reach the highest levels.
Let me just remind everyone that this information is readily available on the Monavie website and that you do not have to take my word for it. Take the time to do the research yourself and ask these questions to whoever is trying to get you signed up. If they are hesitant to talk to you about it or if they make you feel uncomfortable for asking about it then I think you have your answer.
It appears that oprah has had enough of the false claims about her endorsing Monavie.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13179813
OH, funny, imagine that….Oprah posts on her website that she will take legal action….and still the MonaVie distributors we saw commenting here wouldn’t stop using Oprah’s name, and numerous cases of MonaVie related comments on websites claimed endorsement by Oprah….we, myself included, several times warned distributors about making those claims that Oprah endorses MonaVie.
Huh, now…go figure…she’s suing MonaVie. She and her team of Legal Eagles wouldn’t go down this road without some nice evidence to make their case.
And MonaVie’s response to this lawsuit? Oh, you know what it is…they’re the victims of course!!
Direct quote from http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13179813
If you read while pretending you hear high pitched sing-songy nasally whining it has the most impact.
Thanx, tilt!
Since folks want to quote USDA as a “trusted source” and quote figures for apples and such, here is a quote along with the link to the entire article from the USDA website regarding acai berries:
“The fruit of Euterpe oleraceae, commonly known as acai, has been demonstrated to exhibit significantly high antioxidant capacity in vitro, especially for superoxide and peroxyl scavenging, and, therefore, may have possible health benefits. In this study, the antioxidant capacities of freeze-dried acai fruit pulp/skin powder (OptiAcai) were evaluated by different assays with various free radical sources. It was found to have exceptional activity against superoxide in the superoxide scavenging (SOD) assay, the highest of any food reported to date against the peroxyl radical as measured by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay with fluorescein as the fluorescent probe (ORACFL), and mild activity against both the peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radical by the peroxynitrite averting capacity (NORAC) and hydroxyl radical averting capacity (HORAC) assays, respectively. The SOD of acai was 1614 units/g, an extremely high scavenging capacity for O2*-, by far the highest of any fruit or vegetable tested to date.”
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=214234
Please don’t argue with me on this – argue with the USDA
Joe, you realize that quote is not from the USDA. It’s from the authors of that study.
You also realize that the first author listed Dr. Alexander Schauss with AIMBR LIFE SCIENCES have been debunked time and time again.
Lastly, you realize that there’s nothing that says how much acai is in MonaVie. There might be as little as 6% since there are 19 other ingredients. It’s very important to realize that ACAI IS NOT MONAVIE and MONAVIE IS NOT ACAI – and pretending than one has anything to do with the other without knowing the exact relationship of the two is meaningless.
Thanks — I’m interested in where Dr. Schauss has been “debunked” — perhaps along with the other authors of said report. The report is reported by USDA, however
Lazy Man — actually your post is very “telling” — did I mention “Mona Vie” in my post? I was debating the issue of acai vs — say — apples, as claimed by someone else on this thread. You obviously have a bias, and that’s okay, just so that’s known and can be taken into consideration. I also have a bias, that I know that at whatever percentage of acai berry it is, in whatever product it is, has eliminated my pain from a bad hip as compared to treating that pain with a prescription medication.
You also seem to think that USDA will provide just about ANY source on its site, so if I wrote an article that says I can cure lung cancer with soy beans, they would post that. There must be some credibility to the paper for the USDA to post it to thier library of resources. And I suppose the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry also would publish bogus or “debunked” studies as well. Surprising for an industry, peer-reviewed publication.
Joe, it does not serve you well to argue in favor of the value of acai, since we don’t know (or more accurately, the manufacturer won’t tell us) how much acai is in Monavie. There is far more published medical literature on blueberries and Concord grapes than there is on acai, and yet I don’t think that anyone would object to questioning whether Welch’s contained 5% or 100% grape juice – especially if they were being charged $45 for it.
As for Schauss, he has been discredited on many levels: with respect to his shoddy and faked academic credentials, his second-rate research and exaggerations about its significance, and his failure to disclose that he has a blatant financial conflict of interest in Monavie products, which undermines the integrity of his research. Any one of these facts alone would be enough to discredit Schauss; together, it’s down right damning.
Here is a quote about Schauss based on an article that appeared in the Vancouver Sun newspaper:
“DIET & BEHAVIOR “EXPERT” FAKES HIS CREDENTIALS: A Canadian newspaper, reveals that Alexander G. Schauss has misrepresented his background and achievements in his curriculum vitae. The investigative report itemizes eight specific examples where Schauss lied. Schauss is president and sole registered agent of the American Institute for Biosocial Research in Tacoma, WA. He has been traveling around the U.S. and Canada for many years expounding his unfounded theories about diet and antisocial (criminal & delinquent) behavior. Schauss’ lectures before teachers in British Columbia at which he received lecture fees of as much as $1,000, prompted the probe. Schauss apparently is a good salesman for his ideas, but also embellishes them with the illusion that they are supported by his sound academic background and research. Many teachers, mental health workers and probation officers have been confused …”
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9205625_ITM
According to Schauss’ bio on the AIBMR website, he obtained a doctorate from California Coast University, which is a notorious non-accredited diploma mill offering mail order degrees. He is also listed on Quackwatch’s list of “Promoters of Questionable Methods”.
http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/index.html
But why spoil a great day having the truth about acai and Schauss’ shoddy credentials rubbed in your face when we should be kicking back, smiling, and savoring this blessed day… OPRAH IS SUING MONAVIE! I just can’t say that enough times…OPRAH IS SUING MONAVIE…HALLELUJAH!
Joe, you realize that this article is about MonaVie right? That apple comparison was from http://www.monavietrainingguide.com/2009/08/monavie-vs-red-delicious-apple.html – see MonaVie vs. apples.
Joe, I wrote the article with no bias… I just wanted to find more information. However, as every single piece of scientific information shows MonaVie to not have any justification for it’s price, I’ve become biased towards being consumer advocate and saving them their hard earned money (which is something that I continue to do with posts unrelated to MonaVie 2-3 times a week).
Joe, the report is report by the USDA, but it was not done by the USDA. Obviously there is a difference. As Vogel pointed out Schauss has been debunked many, many times in the comment archive.
I’d also like to point out comment #973 in that archive that brings up the article at:
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jafcau/2008/56/i18/pdf/jf8016157.pdf
(Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry)
According to you (Joe), this should be evidence enough as it’s peer-reviewed publication.
If you read the study though you find that they really didn’t test anything worthwhile. There were no real world comparisons. There were no comparisons to other juices, vitamins, or anything else that could provide some kind of anti-oxidants. I posted a lot more in comment 973 there.
In short, it’s great to put out these things, but we must remember that almost all these studies were done by Schauss who was supplying MonaVie with their Acai… can’t get more biased than that.
Article says a lot to me — it is not meant to compare to anything else, only the in-vitro antioxidant capacity of “JB” — it is your typical double-blind study done on any number of substances.
And I assume you can “debunk” all the other researchers as well.
I still haven’t made a claim as to what product — if any — I’m talking about — only acai — you all are arguing against Mona Vie.
I’ll tell you what, I won’t make any “false claims” about any product – or berry – and you agree not to make false claims about this forum being a balanced and fair discussion.
Have a great weekend!
I forgot some research — the “info” about Dr. Schauss’ credentials comes from a “questionable” source at best, the NCAHF, who has lost more cases than won. And I assume that if he was given his diploma from a “mill” he duped not only the NIH but all these other universities where he did graduate work (just to make this place more balanced):
He has been a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) Advisory Council (AMPAC); a member of the Ad Hoc Developmental Planning Committee of the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS); a reviewer of botanical standards and information monographs for the U.S. Pharmacopoeia Convention (USP); and, a reviewer for the International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) database, maintained through an interagency partnership with the Food and Nutrition Information Center, National Agricultural Library, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which provides access to bibliographic citations and abstracts from published, international, scientific literature on dietary supplements and their ingredients.
In 1985, Dr. Schauss was appointed by the US government to represent the United States as a voting member to the WHO Study Group on Health Promotion after being personally selected by Director General of the WHO, Dr. Hafdan Mahler, whose appointment to represent the USA was confirmed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2005, Dr. Schauss received the Linus Pauling Lecture Award for contributions in the medical sciences from the American College for the Advancement of Medicine for “contributions to the medical sciences.” He earned his undergraduate, graduate (summa cum laude), and doctoral degrees at the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque and, California Coast University in Santa Ana, respectively. He completed post-graduate studies at the University of New Mexico, the University of Washington at Seattle, University of Washington at Tacoma, the University of Puget Sound, in addition to continuing education studies at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and California State University – Fullerton.
Having studied nutrition and botanical medicine for over 30 years, Dr. Schauss is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition (FACN), an Emeritus Member of the New York Academy of Sciences, former Chairman of the Food Policy Council of the National Council for Public Health Policy, an Honorary Founding Member of the British Society of Nutritional Medicine, and Emeritus Executive Director of the American Preventive Medical Association. He is a member of the: American College of Toxicology, American Chemical Society, American Society for Nutrition, Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, Society for Food Science and Technology, International Society for Horticultural Science, and Associate Member of the Society of Toxicology
Joe said: “And I assume you can ‘debunk’ all the other researchers as well.”
I can go on “debunking” all day; Lord knows you give me enough ammo. I already posted details on the backgrounds of the other study authors back in October 2008 (see post 1014 in archives). This is what I wrote:
The study’s lead author, Gitte Jensen, has been involved with other scammy MLM nutritional supplement products (e.g., a notorious blue green algae supplement from badly polluted Klamath Lake in Oregon).
http://www.mlmwatch.org/04C/Stemtech/stemtech.html
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/algae.html
Most of the Monavie study authors work for either AIBMR, which is run by Schauss, or for HolgerNIS (based in Klamath Falls), another tiny research consulting company run by Gitte Jensen. One of the other authors, Robert Beaman (who had never authored a research article prior to this one), runs a “wellness clinic” in Klamath Falls.
http://www.aibmr.com
http://www.holgernis.com
http://www.wellness.com/dir/2417071/family-doctor/or/klamath-falls/robert-beaman-beamans-wellness-ctr-md
Co-author John R. Endress, who has a degree in naturopathy and a BA in philosophy/German, is the “chief science officer” of AIBMR.
http://www.aibmr.com/aboutaibmr.html
Joe said: “I still haven’t made a claim as to what product — if any — I’m talking about — only acai — you all are arguing against Mona Vie.”
And that’s only ONE of the things that make you annoying! If you aren’t talking about Monavie, you may as well be talking about car tires or cheese graters. Do you notice that your critics don’t ever have to resort to such forked-tongued vagary? We can be forthright and direct because the facts speak for themselves.
Oh yeah, and did I mention…OPRAH IS SUING MONAVIE! :-D
Joe, if you aren’t here to discuss MonaVie, I’ll just have to go delete your comments as being irrelevant. This is a place to discuss MonaVie.
If you want to discuss acai, there are a number of other places to discuss that. As previously mentioned, acai is not MonaVie and if you commenting here, it’s assumed you are talking about MonaVie.
This forum is a fair and balanced place to discuss MonaVie as long as people bring facts to the table. You see that Vogel backed up everything he said with sources.
The only fact that you brought to the table is one study from a biased and fraudulent party that says that some freeze-dried acai might be beneficial… which as you admit, is not MonaVie.
If you want to discuss something fairly, A) Get on topic – MonaVie B) Make a point that you can stand behind that supports consumers paying the price of MonaVie or go with the side that many of us have which is that consumers are better saving their money for actual health enhancers (gym memberships, medicine that has been clinically proven, etc.).
Informed, I think you’re on the right track, but I think you may have failed to notice the fine print below in the IDS statement:
In 2008, approximately
87% of individuals who executed a MonaVie Distributor Application and Agreement, and made at least one purchase in the
last 12 months, are considered wholesale customers.
In order to be considered a distributor and be included in the statistics on the IDS statement,:
A “Distributor” is defined as any person who: (1)
executed a MonaVie Distributor Application and Agreement; (2) has sponsored at least one person; (3) has received at least one
non-retail bonus; and (4) has been active in any of the eight weeks preceding the bonus period (“active” is defined in the MonaVie
Compensation Plan as having generated 100 PV (Personal Sales Volume) in a four-week period).
So 87% of the people who did part 1 – executed a MonaVie Distributor Application and Agreement, were unable to qualify for any compensation what so ever due to faiure to meet at least one of the other 3 qualifying conditions.
If this is taken into account, what else do we know..
First, we know there are 80,789 distributors who qualified for commissions (simply add all the distributors on the 2008 IDS). We also know that 87% of individuals who executed a MonaVie Distributor Application and Agreement, and made at least one purchase in the
last 12 months, didn’t qualify for any commissions and therefore are not on the IDS statistics. So 80,789 divided by .13 (the 13% that are represented on the IDS) gives us 621,453 (lets round it at 620,000)individuals that signed a distributor agreement and bought at least one bottle in 2008.
It is impossible to know from the IDS how much product was purchased by the 87% not in the IDS. But the 13% in the IDS must satisfy the 100 pv test. Based on $40 per bottle, not including shipping or bottles for tasting or giving away you would be over $2,000 per year, so I believe this is a reasonable figure, if not conservative.
To your point of “chance of making money” the chances in 2008 of anyone who signed a distributor agreement making money worked out something like this…
Of the 620,000, 36,295 “distributor” rank(roughly 6%..I’ll round again) made an average of $1,536/yr in commission. After the assumed cost of product, they lost roughly $500.
30,239 of 620,000 made “star” rank (roughly 5%) and earned an average of $2,032/yr, or basically broke even.
Take the 11% in the first two ranks and add it to the 87% that never recieved any commision and the IDS shows that 98% that signed a distributor agreement were never cash flow positive.
8,138 of 620,000 reached star 500 distributor(roughly 1.3%)and earned $4,095/yr on average or roughly $40 per week after the assumed cost of product.
3,420 of 620,000 reached star 1000 distributor (roughly one half of one percent)and earned $9,141 – $2,000 cost of product gives a net $7,141/yr, or $137/week.
1,232 of 620,000 reached bronze executive (roughly two tenths of one percent, or 2 in 1000)and earned $18,835 – $2,000 cost of product gives a net $16,835/yr, or $324/week.
666 of 620,000 reached silver executive (roughly one tenth of one percent, or 1 in 1000)and earned $29,526 – $2,000 cost of product gives a net $27,526/yr, or $529/week.
400 of 620,000 reached gold executive (roughly 6 one hundreths of one percent, or 6 in 10,000)and earned $53,239 – $2,000 cost of product gives a net $51,239/yr, or $985/week.
146 of 620,000 reached ruby executive (roughly 2 one hundreths of one percent, or 2 in 10,000)and earned $103,992 – $2,000 cost of product gives a net $101,992/yr, or $1,961/week.
73 of 620,000 reached emerald executive (roughly 1 one hundreth of one percent, or 1 in 10,000)and earned $160,883 – $2,000 cost of product gives a net $158,883/yr, or $3,055/week.
36 of 620,000 reached diamond executive (roughly 6 one thousandths of one percent, or 6 in 100,000)and earned $207,575 – $2,000 cost of product gives a net $205,575/yr, or $3,953/week.
84 of 620,000 reached blue diamond executive (roughly 13 one thousandths of one percent, or 13 in 100,000)and earned $388,144/yr on average, or $7,464/week.
26 of 620,000 reached Hawaiian blue diamond executive (roughly 4 one thousandths of one percent, or 4 in 100,000)and earned $644,242/yr on average, or $12,389/week.
27 of 620,000 reached black diamond executive (roughly 4 one thousandths of one percent, or 4 in 100,000)and earned $1,550,342/yr on average, or $29,776/week.
7 of 620,000 reached royal black diamond executive or above (roughly 11 one hundred thousandths of one percent, or 11 in 1,000,000)and earned $3,501,397/yr on average, or $67,296/week.
The compensation for the top 1% can actually be significantly greater when considering the bonus’ and other compensation outlined in the plan.
Of the 13% who did qualify for commission (80,789), 84% of all cash flow (commission less assumed $2,000 cost of product)was paid to the top 1% of this group.
Joe, If you are talking about MonaVie, then remember the ORAC is 22.81 umoles/ml (AIBMR – Dr. Schauss). The freeze-dried acai concentrate (a processed food) has an ORAC of 1,027 umoles/gm. I’m sure you can figure that even if you started out at 100% acai, for the ORAC to drop that much, it was diluted by an astounding amount. Also, remember that the predominant antioxidant in acai are anthocyanins. MonaVie tested at 0.095 mg/ml for anthocyanins (Chromadex Labs). This is a very low level when considering many of the other fruits should be contributing to the anthocyanin level, as well. This is a strong indicator that acai is at a very low level in MonaVie. If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on white grape juice as the predominant ingredient (next to water) in this product. White grape juice is inexpensive and would not include anthocyanins as part of it’s antioxidant profile.
For me it all comes back to the FACTS, which there as soooooo many listed on this site. Most important of course are the 3 tests/studies which PROVE that the juice from MV is nothing more than white grape juice. Now can anyone of you Pro MVer’s post any FACTS (not testimonies) to disprove this???? All you talk about is what an awesome drink you have, yet you have to FACTS to back it up, why?
You Talk the Talk but dont Walk the Walk!
The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity assay, or simply ORAC score, is a reliable validated method to compare the antioxidant capacity of a food’s ability to neutralize the peroxyl radical (the most dominant free radical that is produced in our bodies.)
The ORAC assay has been called one of the most significant developments in analytical science in the last 100 years. It has been suggested that units of ORAC should simply be called “anti-aging points.”
So we will start our look at the açaí berry with this anti-aging measure of the ORAC assay. The USDA has analyzed 278 fruits, vegetables and nuts, comparing their antioxidant capacity using this gold-standard test.
The ORAC of freeze dried açaí was so much higher than any other food ever tested, that they actually believed there was an error in conduct of the lab test. So they repeated it multiple times, always arriving at the same value. Freeze dried açaí was then sent to various laboratories across the US – all to arrived at the same result – 1,027 micromoles of Trolox equivalent per gram – over ten times that of the previous known top antioxidant foods – blueberry and cranberry.
For some perspective, let’s look at some ORAC comparisons with other fresh fruits.
http://www.realhealthanswers.com/features/science-corner-acai-berry-science.htm
go to the link above to see chart
For a typical serving of 100 grams, cranberries and blueberries would total approximately 9,000 ORAC units, while açaí would total 102,700.
With antioxidant protection being so critical to disease prevention, anti-aging and general wellness, açaí brings an unmatched antioxidant army to combat the prevalent peroxyl radical in human body.
The next chart compares ORAC scores to common vegetables. We again see açaí as an outlier.
just to make things clear i am not a mv distributer nor will i be do to the non peramid, peramid
found some info,
Please read the archived comments as it has been discussed again and again…
When you freeze dry something you take out the water and hence the weight of the water. So using a gram of freeze dried anything is going score higher than something that is 90+% water (like most fruit is). So compare your freeze-dried acai with freeze-dried cranberries or blueberries and we’ll be comparing apples to apples so to speak.
Also MonaVie’s ORAC score has been tested (see AIMBR studies sponsored by MonaVie), and it has been found to be much, much less than freeze-dried acai. In fact 4oz. of MonaVie (which will cost you over $7) has a lower ORAC score than a Fuji apple.
Lastly cinnamon and cocoa blow away acai in ORAC and can be cheaply purchased.
As you can see your information is not very interesting.
To Found some info: LazyMan’s reply was dead accurate. It’s misleading to compare the ORAC of a dehydrated product to one that contains roughly 90% or more water. The acai ORAC results are off by a factor of 10 and the comparison is blatantly misleading. Aside from that, it is irrelavant because the results are for acai powder, not Monavie, and we know that Monavie has a low ORAC score (AIBMR’s research prove it).
I find it very interesting that the data you quoted has never been published by Monavie or Schauss in any reputable publication and that you have to quote a bogus third-party website hosted by a provider in Luxembourg. It looks like Monavie and/or its distributors are using this offshore server to disseminate information about the produt that could otherwise result in serious legal issues in the U.S. Why isn’t the company posting this information on their own website? I think we all know the answer to that question.
Found some info.
Why dont you find some info. that PROVES MV juice is worth $40 a bottle………
I’m not sure why some people have such difficulty in understanding dilution, when it comes to the acai in MonaVie. Here’s an analogy: You have a teaspoon of sugar. You taste it and it’s very sweet. Now, you put that teaspoon of sugar in a gallon of water. It’s no longer sweet. It’s been diluted. It’s the same with the freeze-dried acai concentrate. It starts out with an ORAC of 1,027 umoles/gm. It’s added to a giant vat with water and many other ingredients and ends up as PART of the MonaVie mix. The ORAC is now 22.81 umoles/ml. Again, this is an example of dilution.
There is a whole lot more than dilution that these tards dont understand!!!!
Here’s an analogy:
3 studies/test confirm that MV juice is nothing more than white grape juice. Dilute that with thousands of BS testimonies and bottle it as a cancer curing drug.
I think this is an analogy that the Pro MVer’s will understand, hell this is how they sell this crap!!!!
Here’s analogy of all analogies:
If you don’t want it then don’t buy it. If you want it then buy it. Either way shut up about what others do and make your own decision.
Michael, I don’t think you need worry about anyone here buying MonaVie. There may be some readers of this blog who may be contemplating becoming MonaVie dealers. They should be allowed to view the facts that have been presented. Then, if they have any ethics at all, they will not get mixed up in this scheme.
Michael, How about analogy based on FACTS…..