15 Jan 2009

Fined for making false health claims

3:19 pm on 15 January 2009

A Tauranga couple have been fined $23,400 for claiming they could cure or prevent diseases such as herpes, SARS and bird flu.

John and Ingrid Godwin were taken to court by the Commerce Commission for misleading the public about their products and their qualifications.

Commission director Adrian Sparrow says they put consumers' health at risk and took advantage of vulnerable people.

He says health practitioners must not make claims about their products that cannot be substantiated.