Company type | Subsidiary of Morinda Holdings, Inc. |
---|---|
Industry | Multi-level Marketing |
Founded | July 1, 1996 |
Headquarters | American Fork, Utah |
Key people | Kerry O. Asay, John Wadsworth, Kelly Olsen, Kim Asay, Stephen Story |
Website | http://www.morinda.com |
Morinda is a multi-level marketing company based in American Fork, Utah that sells Tahitian Noni juice and other products made from the noni plant. The company was founded in 1996 and has manufacturing facilities in Tahiti, Japan, China, Germany, and Utah. [1] Morinda, formerly known as Tahitian Noni International and Morinda Bioactives, was a subsidiary of Morinda Holdings, Inc. [1] prior to merging with and becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of New Age Beverages Corporation in December 2019. [2]
Morinda's main product is a noni juice blend sold under the brand name Tahitian Noni. The company also markets various dietary supplements, personal care products, and essential oils.
Tahitian Noni juice consists of a blend of pasteurized reconstituted noni puree (89%) mixed with grape and blueberry juice concentrates (11%), which is pasteurized prior to bottling. [3] The manufacturer's recommended serving size is 30 mL/day (1 ounce). Several websites and blogs claimed there are many health benefits of noni juices. [4] However, according to the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food, the nutritional content (i.e., macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals) of Tahitian Noni juice is comparable to the ranges known for typical fruit juices, and the agency concluded that there was no evidence that the juice had any special health benefits beyond those of other fruit juices. [3] The nutritional content of noni juice is roughly comparable to that of apple juice. [5]
On August 26, 1998, the Attorneys General of Arizona, California, New Jersey, and Texas announced a multi-state settlement with Morinda, Inc., the charges stating that Morinda had made "unsubstantiated claims in consumer testimonials and other promotional material that its Tahitian Noni juice could treat, cure or prevent numerous diseases, including diabetes, clinical depression, hemorrhoids and arthritis." [6] Such claims rendered the beverage an unapproved new drug under state and federal food and drug laws and should not have been sold until it received approval. Under the terms of the agreement, Morinda agreed to:
The settlement also called for Morinda to pay $100,000 for investigative costs and to provide a refund for the full purchase price to any consumer who submitted a written refund request.
Tahitian Noni sued XanGo and several of its top executives in February 2003 in 4th District Court in Provo, Utah, alleging that executives stole Tahitian Noni's concept for a mangosteen-based supplement while they were employed by TNI's parent-company, to which XanGo counter-sued. In a joint statement, Tahitian Noni and XanGo did not disclose particulars regarding the settlement, only stating that they have "agreed to resolve their disputes and the litigation between them and their founders." [7]
Residents of Spain were alerted in February 2007 to avoid consuming certain improperly labeled bottles of Tahitian Noni Juice while the health department there awaited toxicology reports for a man who died after drinking the juice. According to reports in Spain, a 40-year-old man from Ogijares drank some noni juice for breakfast and began to experience strange sensations in his mouth and blurred vision. He died shortly thereafter, and another family member, who also drank some juice, reported similar symptoms. [8] Reports stated that there were large amounts of cocaine found in the bottles and the body of the deceased man.
The bottles recovered from the deceased man's home were submitted to the Spanish Institute of Toxicology, where it was confirmed the bottles were contaminated with cocaine. The bottles in question bore labels from Mexico, and the lot number and expiration dates were illegible. Spanish authorities urged consumers to check the labels on their bottles of juice and report any irregularities. Consumers were also asked not to purchase bottles of juice outside the company's normal distribution channels.
Following several medical case reports of hepatotoxicity among consumers of noni juice, a 2009 study on Tahitian Noni by the European Food Safety Authority advised that data available at the time of the case reports were not sufficient to establish a causal relationship between consumption of the juice and hepatotoxicity; however, an increasing number of subsequent case reports suggested that some individuals may be particularly sensitive to hepatotoxic effects of noni fruit products. [9]
Orange juice is a liquid extract of the orange tree fruit, produced by squeezing or reaming oranges. It comes in several different varieties, including blood orange, navel oranges, valencia orange, clementine, and tangerine. As well as variations in oranges used, some varieties include differing amounts of juice vesicles, known as "pulp" in American English, and "(juicy) bits" in British English. These vesicles contain the juice of the orange and can be left in or removed during the manufacturing process. How juicy these vesicles are depend upon many factors, such as species, variety, and season. In American English, the beverage name is often abbreviated as "OJ".
Yogurt is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yogurt its texture and characteristic tart flavor. Cow's milk is most commonly used to make yogurt. Milk from water buffalo, goats, ewes, mares, camels, and yaks is also used to produce yogurt. The milk used may be homogenized or not. It may be pasteurized or raw. Each type of milk produces substantially different results.
Fuze Beverage, commercially referred to as simply Fuze, is a manufacturer of teas and non-carbonated fruit drinks enriched with vitamins. Currently the brand consists of five vitamin-infused lines: Slenderize, Refresh, Tea, Defensify, and Vitalize. The use of vitamins, amino acids, and herbs, and alternative sweeteners such as crystalline fructose places Fuze products in what is known in the industry as the new age beverage category.
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Morinda citrifolia is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to Southeast Asia and Australasia, which was spread across the Pacific by Polynesian sailors. The species is now cultivated throughout the tropics and widely naturalised. There are over 100 names for this fruit across different regions, including great morinda, Indian mulberry, noni, beach mulberry, vomit fruit, awl tree, and rotten cheese fruit.
Odwalla Inc. is an American health food company based in Dinuba, California. Founded in Santa Cruz, California in 1980 and formerly headquartered in Half Moon Bay, California from 1995 to 2020, the company's product lines include fruit juices, smoothies, soy milk, bottled water, organic beverages, and several types of energy bars known as "food bars".
Noni juice is derived from the fruit of the Morinda citrifolia tree indigenous to Southeast Asia and Australasia. It has been promoted, illegally in several cases, as a cure for a number of human diseases. However, there is no evidence to support any claims of therapeutic benefit.
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Innocent Limited, trading as Innocent Drinks, is a British-based company that produces smoothies and juice sold in supermarkets, coffee shops and various other outlets. The company sells more than two million smoothies per week. Innocent is over 90% owned by The Coca-Cola Company.
Naked Juice is an American brand that produces juices and smoothies. The company is based in Monrovia, California and is owned by PAI Partners. The first Naked Juice drink was produced in 1983 and sold in California under the name "Naked Juice", referring to the composition of no artificial flavors, added sugar, or preservatives. Distribution has since expanded, and Naked Juice products are distributed in the United States, as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France, among others.
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Pineapple juice is a juice made from pressing the natural liquid out from the pulp of the pineapple. Numerous pineapple varieties may be used to manufacture commercial pineapple juice, the most common of which are Smooth Cayenne, Red Spanish, Queen, and Abacaxi. In manufacturing, pineapple juice is typically canned.
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