FreeLife

Ray Faltinsky and Kevin Fournier were backed by a group of investors that included family, friends and Anson Beard, previously of Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

FreeLife includes operations in Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines,Asia Pulse. (October 11, 2004) [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go1523/is_200410/ai_n6483895 US Juice firm takes a foothold in the Philippines.] Puerto Rico, Singapore,Rungfapaisarn, Kwanchai. (September 16, 2006) The Nation [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/16/business/business_30013757.php Health drink in direct-marketing debut.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071116201838/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/16/business/business_30013757.php |date=2007-11-16 }} Trinidad & Tobago, and the United States.{{Citation needed|date=October 2014}}

Over several years, the company's spokesperson Earl Mindell made claims of unfounded health benefits from consuming the company's goji juice product called "Himalayan Goji Juice", implicating anti-cancer and anti-aging properties.{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2189422&page=1 |title=Goji: Health Elixir or Pricey Juice? |work=ABC News |first=Brittany |last=Oat |date=July 14, 2006 |access-date = 2007-09-24 }} Specifically in 2007, Mindell's statements were made during a hidden camera investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation whose reporter, Wendy Mesley, questioned the supposed anti-cancer properties of Himalayan Goji Juice.{{cite web|title=Getting Juiced |url=http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV+Shows/Marketplace/ID/2290470304/|access-date=2016-05-31|publisher=CBC Marketplace|author=Wendy Mesley|date=January 27, 2007}} During the same investigation, it was found that Mindell's Ph.D. qualification was in fact invalid, as had been questioned a decade before.{{cite web|author=Lowell James A.|date=June 1986|title=An Irreverent Look at the Vitamin Bible and Its Author (Earl Mindell)|publisher=Quackwatch, Nutrition Forum|url=http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/NegativeBR/vbible.html}} Mindell's Ph.D. was supposedly conferred in 1985 by Pacific Western University, an unaccredited distance-learning institution with no campus. Authoritative databases of accredited US institutions exist at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation{{Cite web|title=Council for Higher Education Accreditation|url=http://www.chea.org/default.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091103114310/http://www.chea.org/default.asp|archive-date=3 November 2009|access-date=17 May 2018}} and United States Department of Education;[https://web.archive.org/web/20070316125738/http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ USDE] neither lists Pacific Western University as of February 2007. It was proven by subsequent studies that Mindell's claims were unfounded and based only on preliminary laboratory research on cancer cell inhibition,{{cite journal|vauthors=Li G, Sepkovic DW, Bradlow HL, Telang NT, Wong GY | title=Lycium barbarum inhibits growth of estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer cells by favorably altering estradiol metabolism. | journal=Nutr Canc | year=2009 | volume=61 | issue=3 | pages=408–414 | pmid=19373615| doi=10.1080/01635580802585952 | s2cid=33542464 }}{{cite journal| title=Anticancer effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides on colon cancer cells involves G0/G1 phase arrest| journal=Medical Oncology |doi=10.1007/s12032-009-9415-5|year=2010| pmid=20066520| last1=Mao| first1=F| last2=Xiao| first2=B| last3=Jiang| first3=Z| last4=Zhao| first4=J| last5=Huang| first5=X| last6=Guo| first6=J| volume=28| pages=121–126| issue=1| s2cid=27891778 }} a finding that was never confirmed in other laboratory or human studies. As a result, FreeLife severed its relationship with Mindell in 2008, but was further associated with him as a codefendant in a 2009 legal case (below).{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

In 2008, a FreeLife-funded study conducted on its own employees found that the use of their goji products increased subjective feelings of well-being.{{cite journal |vauthors=Amagase H, Nance DM |title=A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study of the general effects of a standardized Lycium barbarum (Goji) Juice, GoChi |journal=Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=403–12 |date=May 2008 |pmid=18447631 |doi=10.1089/acm.2008.0004}} Questions on these findings were later raised due to poor study design and potential conflict of interest between FreeLife, the employed subjects used and the investigators who did the study.{{cite web| title = Questions raised over Goji science| author = Daniells, S | publisher = NutraIngredients-USA.com | date = October 8, 2008| url = http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Questions-raised-over-Goji-science| access-date = 2010-03-23}}

In 2017, Youngevity acquired Freelife and L'dara through the acquisition of Sorvana International company.{{Cite press release |last=NewMediaWire |date=2017-06-19 |title=Youngevity Acquires FreeLife & L'dara Through Acquisition of Sorvana International |url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/06/19/1245406/0/en/Youngevity-Acquires-FreeLife-L-dara-Through-Acquisition-of-Sorvana-International.html |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=GlobeNewswire News Room |language=en}}

At first, FreeLife's product line consisted of supplements, shampoo and personal care products. In October 2003, FreeLife changed its product line to focus on a juice made from goji (Lycium barbarum) and sold under the product name Himalayan Goji Juice, and a newer product named GoChi.{{cite news | author=Weaver, Clair. | date=June 17, 2007 | publisher=Sunday Telegraph | url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21916251-2,00.html | title=Why goji is more fad than fact.}}{{Cite web |title=GoChi Himalayan Goji Juice Media Man Australia |url=https://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/gochi.html |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=www.mediaman.com.au}}{{Cite web |title=Goji: Health Benefits, Side Effects, Uses, Dose & Precautions |url=https://www.rxlist.com/goji/supplements.htm |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=RxList |language=en}} The company and its goji juice were covered in the media around 2007-8 when the company's marketing messages were questioned.

FreeLife products are sold through multi-level marketing to customers by independent salespeople who are paid commissions on their sales and the sales of their downline.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

On May 29, 2009, a class action lawsuit was filed against FreeLife International, Inc. in the United States District Court of Arizona. This lawsuit alleged false claims, misrepresentations, false and deceptive advertising and other issues regarding FreeLife's Himalayan Goji Juice, GoChi, and TaiSlim products. This lawsuit sought remedies for consumers who have purchased these products in recent years.{{cite web|title=Class action lawsuit against FreeLife International, Inc. |author=United States District Court for the District of Arizona |date=May 29, 2009 |url=http://www.gojitrees.com/FreeLifeClassActionLawsuit%5B1%5D.pdf |access-date=2009-10-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100801124833/http://www.gojitrees.com/FreeLifeClassActionLawsuit%5B1%5D.pdf |archive-date=August 1, 2010 }}[http://www.mlmwatch.org/04C/Freelife/suit.html Class-Action Suit Filed against FreeLife and Earl Mindel]

A settlement agreement was reached on April 28, 2010, where FreeLife will take steps to ensure that its goji products are not marketed as "unheated" or "raw", and made a contribution to an educational organization.[http://breathe.org/ Breathe.org and FreeLife Joint Statement]{{Cite web |url=http://www.freelifefacts.com/currenttopics_jointstatement.cfm |title=FreeFacts.com - Page Error |access-date=2010-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505144842/http://www.freelifefacts.com/currenttopics_jointstatement.cfm |archive-date=2010-05-05 |url-status=dead }}

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Category:Companies based in Phoenix, Arizona

Category:Companies established in 1995

Category:Multi-level marketing companies

Category:Privately held companies based in Arizona

Category:1995 establishments in Arizona