Now that's very interesting. If Whoopi is touting a product on the public ariwaves that has no known weight loss benefit, then she and the company might be liable for false product advertising.
Since Unilever is a publicly held company, the SEC might be interested in false claims that could adversely affect shareholders.
Finally, if Whoppi's claiming she lost weight using the product, we need to have proof. Where are the medical records and signed affidavits that she did, in fact, use this product, and that she actually did lose weight?
.......As for SlimFast, it doesn't work anyway, in terms of long-term weight loss and health.
Don't beleive their hype, whether spread by Whoopi the Obscene or by anyone else. .....
You almost certainly would not get very far going to the SEC or the law courts on this. Read my above statement carefully. SlimFast "works"--at least for awhile--for many people, if it gets them to cut calories by essentially skipping meals. However, for most people, every pound lost by starvation will be gained back, plus even more weight!! Thus SlimFast, and at least most of the other meal-replacement products mentioned in this thread, or other methods of starvation dieting, cannot yield long-term weight loss, nor do they build health.
The best way to lost weight is VERY SLOOOOOOOOOLY, together with both aerobic and weight-bearing exercise. Rather than going on a diet, people should permanently change the way they eat, using the most advanced nutritional knowledge. See http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/now/aug24/ The nutritionist mentioned in this article also has written a book--for those who like or need "diet" books--which is available through Amazon. However, his approach is NOT a "diet".
People should use the above approach in partnership with their doctors. The should know ALL their "numbers"--not just weight--and work to get them to more healthy levels These "numbers" include blood pressure, blood lipid levels, and blood glucose. They should also realize that significant permanent weight loss is not easy, but is worth the effort.
I know what I am talking about, both professionally and through personal experience. I could do a Whoopi Goldberg-style "big looser" act with my own pants (i.e., NOT a prop). However, I acheived my weight loss by the above method. And I am white, male, and much more good-looking than Whoopi, which makes me too average-looking to meet Hollyweird standards of "telegenicity"!!!
I hope that many people on this thread read this post--it might be the most important thing that some people read all year. As for SlimFast, if Christian and conservative outrage at the Whoopi/Kerry fundraiser starts a strong public campaign to promote good health through REAL FOOD and EXERCISE rather than the (usually "liberal"-oriented) diet industry's and the packaged food industry's bogus offerings, that would be a much better outcome than trying to sue or go to the SEC!!!!