They’re all a part of Juice Plus, although the company had some pretty unfortunate luck when it came to the last one…paying O.J. Simpson to endorse their product right before he was tried for the murder of his wife. OOPS.
Obviously they bounced back, because they’re still around.
So should you get involved?
Product-wise this company might be legit, but if you’re just interested in the business opportunity, there are better options out there…
Click here for my #1 recommendation
Either way, here is the full review on Juice Plus.
Overview
Juice Plus is owned by National Safety Associates (NSA) out of Collierville, Tennessee. The company previously produced unrelated products, such as water filters and fire protection equipment, but branched into nutritional supplements in 1993 with the creation of Juice Plus.
Within its first year, Juice Plus achieved $6 million in sales and become NSA’s best selling product. [1] By 2008, the product was nearing $300 million in annual sales, according to the company’s VP John Blair. [2]
Of course, this is MLM, so they haven’t been around for over 2 decades without their fair share of controversies.
Both consumer watchdogs and government agencies have criticized the company for making health claims with absolutely no scientific backing and employing deceptive marketing practices, but more on that later. [3]
Perhaps the most publicized of the company’s controversies happened after they selected O.J. Simpson to provide them with a celebrity endorsement. He signed a six-figure contract with the company in January 1994. Of course, Juice Plus never could have known what would happen 6 months later (O.J. Simpson’s wife was murdered in June 1994 and he was accused of the murder)…but it gets worse than unlucky PR.
While endorsing Juice Plus, O.J. Simpson claimed that its major benefit was helping with joint pain, inflammation, and arthritis. He’s videotaped at a big Juice Plus conference in March 1994 claiming that Juice Plus completely cured him of his arthritis, allowing him to stop taking harmful anti-arthritic drugs and to start golfing again. [4]
Well, during O.J. Simpson’s controversial murder trial, he defended himself by saying that he was physically incapable of murdering his wife due to his arthritis and showed proof that he’d been taking the anti-inflammatory drug sulfasalazine. [5]
So, not only does the company lack real scientific evidence to back its claims, but endorsements can’t even be trusted.
How much does Juice Plus cost?
The start-up fee to join Juice Plus is $50.
Products
Juice Plus sells fruit and vegetable-based nutritional supplements and drinks. The whole idea behind Juice Plus is based on the fact that most Americans don’t consume enough fruit and vegetables (true).
Juice Plus products were designed to solve this problem by providing consumers with convenient ways to get their daily fruit and vegetable needs in. They sell convenient products (capsules, juice, bars) that contain concentrated fruits and vegetables.
Produce is dried and reduced to powders (with unnecessary salts, sugars, and most of the calories removed). Additional fiber and enzymes are added, and then it’s all placed in capsules for quick and easy consumption.
Orchard Blend Capsules, for example, contain berries, apples, cranberries, oranges, papaya, peaches, and pineapple.
Garden Blend Capsules contain barley, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, kale, oats, parsley, spinach, and tomato.
Better Bars contain real fruits, oats, bran, and “a host of other natural ingredients”.
Juice Plus+ Lite is a 110 calorie meal replacement shake containing 12 essential vitamins and minerals.
No where on these packages or on the Juice Plus website does the company explain the quantities of each ingredient. Presumably, a single capsule isn’t going to adequately cover your body’s fruit and vegetable needs. This is especially true because a big part of your body’s need for produce is due to the fiber it contains (which is removed during the reduction process) and the healthiness of having a balanced diet. Capsules are not meal replacements and don’t affect your daily dietary choices.
Furthermore, study after study has shown that supplements in general can never provide the full range of benefits that a balanced diet can.
Tests from ConsumerLab have proven that Juice Plus supplements don’t contain anywhere near enough of your daily vitamins and minerals to have a significant impact on your health. A test done on their Garden Blend supplement showed that it contained only 76.4% of the calcium it claimed to contain, which amounted to less than 4% of the recommended daily value per serving. [6]
Benefits:
Benefits are completely based on anecdotal claims, as there aren’t really any legitimate studies (i.e. studies that AREN’T funded by Juice Plus themselves) to back them up. Claims include that Juice Plus:
- improves mood
- improves overall health
- increases energy
- cures arthritis
- clears skin
- prevents illness
- improves sleep quality
- decreases inflammation
Side Effects:
Reported side effects associated with Juice Plus are pretty gnarly, and include:
- insomnia
- diarrhea
- irregular menstruation
- rash
- bloating
- stomach cramps
- excessive gas
Compensation Plan
All distributors make retail profit off their personal sales, which is the difference between the retail price and the wholesale price that they’re paying.
As you move up in rank, you can access additional commission bonuses. These include 6%-22% commission on your downline once you start hitting monthly sales requirements and recruiting consultants to your team.
Once you hit the 3rd rank and up, you access a 5% Performance Bonus. After that, a 4% “Promote Out Bonus”.
The highest ranks access a 20% Business Incentive Bonus of up to $500-$1,500 per month.
Consultants at the highest level, National Marketing Directors, also get to access a benefits package that includes health, vision, and dental insurance, disability, life insurance, prescription coverage, tuition reimbursement, and a holiday bonus, which is pretty awesome.
Of course, almost no one makes it that far.
Recap
They actually have a pretty generous comp plan, and it’s not overly complicated.
But the product has come up against a LOT of controversy, even for an MLM (see: DS Domination, Creative Memories, or Silpada). The benefits seem to pretty much be the placebo effect, and the potential side effects are pretty nasty. Who’s going to keep buying a pill that makes them cramp, vomit, and poop uncontrollably? Good luck keeping up your sales numbers.
Look, I’ve been involved with network marketing for over ten years so I know what to look for when you consider a new opportunity.
After reviewing 200+ business opportunities and systems out there, here is the one I would recommend:
Click here for my #1 recommendation
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