Acai berry fruit has been the subject of some recent controversy. The latest news about Oprah’s sue-fest will come as no real surprise to anyone following the Acai and its related industry. Many of the companies jumping on the Acai bandwagon have employed what would charitably be described as ‘inventive’ ways of marketing their products. One of these ways was to associate – either implicitly or explicitly – media darling Oprah Winfrey. It is believed that Oprah will sue as many as 40 companies over Acai scams, and the various accused companies could be looking at massive fines.

Acai berry fruit has been the cause of a number of Acai scam related court actions lately, as cases have been brought by various government and state bodies; this move by Oprah to sue over acai berry is only going to fuel the trend further. In fact this move by Oprah occurs at the same time as Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s suit filed on behalf of customers who claim to have been tricked into believing fake endorsements. People have, the complaint claims, been tricked into trusting the products and their manufacturers as a direct result of Oprah’s fake endorsement.

Acai berry fruit advertisements that use Oprah’s image, says the Queen of the talk show, implies some kind of relation between her and particular products; this, she says, was invariably done without her permission. Fabrication of quotes – or taking quotes out of context – was another area in which the complaint took issue with the advertising campaigns of up to 40 companies involved in selling acai related products.

“Consumers should be aware that neither Oprah Winfrey nor Dr. Oz are associated with nor do they endorse any acaí berry product, company or online solicitation of such products, including MonaVie juice products,”

Acai berry fruit has caused Oprah some serious problems, whichever way you look at it, and Oprah most likely has some very good reasons to be annoyed by the habits of the perpetrators. Her name has become inextricably linked with Acai Berry, and has been used to promote the health benefits of the berry which, she says, are often misrepresented. That many customers are being sent fake products and pills that bear no relation to the products they thought they would receive did not help the matter. The damage to the Oprah brand is impossible to quantify, but is clearly substantial.

There is no doubt that the Acai berry fruit is a nutritious and healthy food. It is one of the world’s super foods, and if used correctly is a perfect tool for improving anyone’s health; misleading people with fake products and dubious marketing tactics has finally caught up with those controlling the darker side of this particular market.

Oprah and Acai Berry have been linked throughout the internet in the latest diet craze. The problem is, Neither Oprah or Dr Oz ever endorsed ANY brand of Acai Berry products. They DID talk about the Acai Berry itself, and what wonderful nutritional properties it has. But not the processed Acai Berry pills and juices. But that doesn’t stop fly by night internet marketers from using Oprahs enormous appeal to push false claims for the various products.

To make matters worse, most of these scam artists that use Oprah’s name are pushing the “free trial offers” that promise to ship a miracle diet pill for free. Users just pay for shipping. But when users give their credit card number up to pay for the “shipping”, they are unknowingly signed up for a monthly subscription at $80 a month or more. Of course the scammers make it very difficult to cancel the subscription, and send a near worthless product to boot!

Oprah has sued 40 companies selling acai berry or related products, with their name endorsements on them.

According to their complaint, such companies are “fabricating quotes or falsely purporting to speak in Dr. Oz’s and/or Ms. Winfrey’s voice about specific brands and products that neither of them has endorsed.”

“Consumers should be aware that neither Oprah Winfrey nor Dr. Oz are associated with nor do they endorse any açaí berry product, company or online solicitation of such products, including MonaVie juice products,” a statement read on Winfrey’s Web site. “Neither Oprah nor Dr. Oz are associated with nor do they endorse any specific resveratrol product, company or online solicitation of such products. Any companies that misrepresent their affiliation are making false claims.”

Attorney General Lisa Madigan has also filed suit on behalf of consumers allegedly tricked by the fake endorsement scam.

“For thousands of dieters, the quest for a miracle product has become a nightmare,” Madigan said in a press release. “Far too often, consumers end up losing their money — not weight — in these deals.”

And make no mistake about it – these scammers have been very successful in tricking MILLIONS of DOLLARS out of people. These people are very upset. You can read some of their outraged comments about the acai berry free trial scams. These people often believe Oprah did in fact endorse the products these scammers push and are sometimes very upset with Oprah as well, and can’t understand why she would be behind such a scam.

So, for many months now, Oprahs lawyers have been chasing after these scammers. But much like the whack-a-mole game, as soon as one is shut down, another pops up. The latest step is publicizing the lawsuits to hope the general public realizes Oprah does not endorse ANY brand of Acai Berry products. This is a great example of too much fame being more of a problem than us little people ever quite realize.

Acai has a huge variety of uses, and manufacturers are utilizing it in more and more inventive ways. It seems to crop up in almost every foodstuff and drink that attempts to sell itself as a health product. But what perhaps issurprising is that it is becoming a firm favorite of those manufacturers that make beauty and skin products.

Beauty products? Surely that’s pushing the limits of where acai can help us?

Well, actually no it isn’t. The antioxidants in acai (yes, they had a play a cameo role in this process at some point…) are good for your skin. We know that much already. So why shouldn’t we be able to just apply those antioxidants straight to our skin?

The fact is that if we apply the antioxidants directly to the skin then they can be absorbed more quickly and so do their job more efficiently. The process of digesting the antioxidants and allowing them to do their magic (the traditional method, if you like) is all well and good, but going directly to where we want the results makes more sense.

Other Products

Other beauty products invariably use oils to achieve their promised effects. Acai oils are not really any different to these more traditional ingredients, it’s just that acai contains a whole load of wonderful antioxidants; it is a powerhouse of antioxidant action. Choosing acai oils for beauty products rather than the traditional components just means more antioxidant benefit.

Studies have shown that acai could be the perfect alternative to facial and body creams, shampoos, anti-aging products, and many other creams and ointments. More and more manufacturers are seeing the benefits of acai in their products, so expect to see this as a standard in the near future.

Acai pills are the most convenient way to get the benefits of the Acai Berry Fruit without traveling to Brazil to get the berries, which are very perishable and begin to deteriorate within 24 hours of harvesting. The berries can also be crushed to make juice and purees, which can be even more healthy but most manufacturers dilute it with water and lots of other juices so the benefits of the acai are greatly diminished.

Acai pills are also referred to as supplements or capsules. The same freeze dried acai can also be found in powder form, but is not as popular as it must be mixed with water or some other liquid to drink. Especially here in America, people are looking for a magic pill to take care of things, so even though they are more expensive, the pills are what everyone is looking for.

Acai pills are simply freeze dried acai berry, and as such have no known side effects other than a mild case of diarrhea if too many are consumed at one time. But even this is extremely rare and goes away rapidly.

Acai pills are effective as a diet and general health aid, but are not magic. Combined with a little exercise and diet they will help you lose weight and have more energy. Many people (including me) also feel the anti-inflammatory properties make them worth the cost regardless of whether you need to lose weight or not.