Follow the Money: The Podcast Why Europe can’t stop Nestlé's false health claims
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Oct 1, 2025 Irene van den Berg, an investigative journalist known for exposing misleading health supplement claims, discusses the rampant false advertising in Europe’s booming health supplement market. Nearly half of evaluated products violate EU rules, with Nestlé leading the charge. Irene shares eye-opening details on the weak enforcement of these regulations, the loopholes used by big companies, and the alarming trend of marketing unhealthy foods alongside dubious supplements. She warns of the financial and health risks consumers face, driven by a culture that craves quick fixes.
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Massive Scale Of False Claims
- Follow the Money found that out of 430 supplements investigated nearly 200 carried claims not allowed under EU rules.
- Nestlé alone had about 130 disallowed claims, showing systemic non-compliance by big food firms.
Celebrity Gummies Hide Corporate Owners
- Unilever-backed gummies marketed via Kourtney Kardashian claim to burn belly fat, yet corporate names often don't appear on packaging.
- Consumers rarely know major food companies are behind influencer brands selling dubious health claims.
Enforcement Comes After Market Entry
- EFSA publishes an approved list of allowed claims but enforcement relies on after-the-fact checks by understaffed national watchdogs.
- Companies can sell products with claims and only face action later, creating weak deterrence.