Complaint Review: Private Label Nutraceuticals

Bjarte Rene, CEO/Owner of Private Label Nutraceuticals (PLN), has allegedly manufactured and sold millions of fake supplements to unsuspecting Americans.   

Recently a major federal class-action lawsuit was brought against Private Label Nutraceuticals, dbs Martizermayer Laborabtories, by plaintiff Heather Schroup.  The lawsuit alleges that at the direction of Bjarte Rene, Private Label Nutraceuticals had fake products manufactured and labeled as Green Coffee Bean Extract.   Thereafter, utilizing the brand that Bjarte created called Maritzermayer Laboratories, he mass marketed this product to US consumers.  Here's a link to the class-action lawsuit: http://performinsider.com/2015/02/private-label-nutraceuticals-faces-federal-lawsuit/ 

I thought that it would be imporatnt to include the following excerpt from the class-action lawsuit that was filed against Private Label Nutraceuticals:

"At all relevant times, Defendants represented that their Private Label Green Coffee Extract Products were “green coffee extract” and contained 800mg of green coffee extract per serving. Instead, Defendants’ Green Coffee Extract Product did not contain green coffee extract and only contained trace amounts of chlorogenic acid. One study commissioned by Plaintiff and performed by a third party lab shows that the Private Label Green Coffee Extract Product Line contained a sugar compound similar to Maltose. Defendants’ labeling never disclosed the presence of the sugar compound."

So essentially Private Label Nutraceuticals manufactured a sugar pill that was deceptively marketed to millions of Americans as a "Green Coffee Bean Extract" that contained "Hydrocholoric Acid" for weight loss.  Instead, Americans ingested sugar pills.

If this lawsuit is indeed true, Bjarte Rene not only violated several FDA and FTC regulations, he also commited criminal fraud. Knowingly manufacturing a sugar pill that is marketed as a "Green Coffee Bean Extract" that causes weight loss is akin to buying an authentic Rolex watch, only to later discover that it was a fake.   There is not only civil liability here, there is also criminal liability...Bjarte Rene may just go to prison.

This is not the first time that Private Label Nutraceuticals has been accused of false advertising or manufacturing fake supplments.

Just as recently as this past summer an exposé on the fake ingredients in Private Label Nutraceuticals products was released on the Dr. Oz show.  The marketer who was exposed responded to the show stating that they bought the supplements from Private Label Nutra.   See below:

VIDEO:  http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/dr-oz-takes-down-scammers-using-his-name-dupe-you 

FOLLOW-UP by Tarr Inc.: http://s.doctoroz.com/sites/default/files/dm_uploads/Miracle%20Garcinia%20Cambogia%20Statement%20FINAL.pdf 

Additionally, Bjarte Rene's company, Private Label Nutracueticals, was sued in 2014 by Activlab LLC, a Tennessee Limited Liability Company.  Guess what PLN was sued for...alledly manufacturing fake supplements that were sold to Americans!  

In the lawsuit it is noted that Activlab received a contract from Vitamin Shoppe to sell their Whey Protein brand.  Vitamin Shoppe agreed to sell these products on BodyBuilding.com.  

In laboratory tests performed by Activlab, the Private Label Nutraceutical Whey Protein that Activlab purchased had glycine in it, which is a cheap substitute for Whey Protein.   Essentially it was alleged that by using glycine instead of real protein, Private Label Nutraceuticals was able to quote 50% lower prices than competitors....  

In yet another case, a company that Bjarte Rene owned called American Nutraceuticals, Bjarte was accused of deceptive marketing of supplements to Americans and received warning letters from the FDA: http://www.casewatch.org/fdawarning/prod/2003/americannutriceuticals.shtml 

Folks, millions of Americans have ingested fake supplements that were manufactured by Private Label Nutraceuticals at the diretion of Bjarte Rene.   Should any of these Americans had diabetes, they ingested a sugar pill without their knowledge.  Let's ban together and see that this company is put out of business, and that the owner, Bjarte Rene, is put in prison.   Please submit your complaints to the links below:

BBB: http://www.bbb.org/atlanta/business-reviews/vitamins-and-food-supplements/private-label-nutraceuticals-in-norcross-ga-27281139  

Georgia Attorney General (Private Label Nutraceuticals is headquartered in Georgia): http://law.ga.gov/contact-us-0 

California Attorney General (Bjarte Rene lives in California): http://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company 

Let's put an end to perpetuation of fraud by Bjarte Rene, whom is using Private Label Nutraceuticals to manufacture allegedly fake supplements and is marketing them to US consumers via Maritzermayer Laboratories.   Let's band togeher and bring these crooks to justice.