Royal Tongan Limu was a seaweed extract product manufactured and distributed by Dynamic Essentials, a now defunct multilevel marketing company based in Lake Mary, Florida, until legal issues with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration forced the company's closure in 2003. Subsequently, NBTY, Inc., the parent company of Dynamic Essentials, was ordered to pay a US$2 million settlement in a class action suit launched by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice in response to misleading and illegal claims made about the purported health benefits of Royal Tongan Limu. [1] [2]
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about 750 km2 (290 sq mi), scattered over 700,000 km2 (270,000 sq mi) in the southern Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, according to Johnson's Tribune, Tonga has a population of 104,494, 70% of whom reside on the main island, Tongatapu. The country stretches approximately 800 km (500 mi) north-south. It is surrounded by Fiji and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest, Samoa to the northeast, New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu to the west, Niue to the east, and Kermadec to the southwest. Tonga is about 1,800 km (1,100 mi) from New Zealand's North Island. Tonga is a member of The Commonwealth.
Tongans, a Polynesian group, represent more than 98% of the inhabitants of Tonga. The rest are European, mixed European, and other Pacific Islanders. There also are several hundred Chinese. Almost two-thirds of the population live on its main island, Tongatapu. Although an increasing number of Tongans have moved into the only urban and commercial center, Nukuʻalofa, where European and indigenous cultural and living patterns have blended, village life and kinship ties continue to be important throughout the country. Everyday life is heavily influenced by Polynesian traditions and especially by the Christian faith; for example, all commerce and entertainment activities cease from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday, and the constitution declares the Sabbath to be sacred, forever. Other important Christian denominations include Methodists and Roman Catholics, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
His Majesty's Armed Forces (HMAF) is the military of Tonga. It is composed of three operational components and two support elements.
In the Polynesian mythology of Tonga, Limu is the primeval Tongan god of creation, whose union with the goddess Kele produced the goddess Touiafutuna, from whom all creation descends.
Royal Tongan Airlines was the national airline of Tonga until liquidation in 2004. It was a government agency and operated interisland services and international routes.
GNC Holdings, LLC is a retail company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It specializes in health and nutrition related products, including vitamins, supplements, minerals, herbs, sports nutrition, diet, and energy products.
Leiner Health Products was a company based in Carson, California, and was one of America's largest manufacturers of vitamins, minerals, herbal nutritional supplements, and generic medications. It was founded in 1973, and was owned by North Castle Partners, a private investment firm from Connecticut.
Jesse Bogdonoff is a former Bank of America financial advisor to the government of Tonga and court jester of Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, the king of Tonga. He was embroiled in a financial scandal.
Holland & BarrettInternational Limited, trading as Holland & Barrett (H&B), is a British-based multinational chain of health food shops with over 1,300 stores in 16 countries, including a substantial presence in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
Pacific Islander Americans are Americans who are of Pacific Islander ancestry. For its purposes, the United States census also counts Aboriginal Australians as part of this group.
The 2006 Nukuʻalofa riots, also known as the 2006 Tongan riots, started on 16 November, in the Tongan capital of Nukuʻalofa. The Legislative Assembly of Tonga was due to adjourn for the year and despite promises of action, had done little to advance democracy in the government. A mixed crowd of democracy advocates took to the streets in protest. The riots saw a number of cases of robbery, looting, vehicle theft, arson, and various property damage.
The Bountiful Company is an American dietary supplements company. It is owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, which sold most of the company's brands to Nestlé in 2021.
Vitamin World USA Corporation is a global retailer of vitamins and nutritional supplements and is headquartered on Long Island, New York in the United States.
MonaVie is a defunct, American multi-level marketing company that manufactured and distributed products made from blended fruit juice concentrates, powders, and purées. The company was the subject of several controversies. Health claims for its products had not been scientifically confirmed or approved by regulatory authorities, and its chairman had been previously involved in false health claims concerning another beverage company. According to Forbes, MonaVie's business plan resembled a pyramid scheme. In 2015, the company defaulted on a US$182 million loan and went into foreclosure. Florida-based Jeunesse Global took over MonaVie’s assets when it purchased the note for $15 million.
Christianity is the predominant religion in Tonga, with Methodists having the most adherents.
Limu or Limmu may refer to:
Asparagopsis taxiformis, formerly A. sanfordiana, is a species of red algae, with cosmopolitan distribution in tropical to warm temperate waters. Researchers have demonstrated that feeding ruminants a diet containing 0.2% A. taxiformis seaweed reduced their methane emissions by nearly 99 percent.
Young Living is a multi-level marketing company based in Lehi, Utah. Founded by Donald Gary Young in 1993, it sells essential oils and other related products.
Sitenimoa Valevale, styled Lord Nuku, is a Tongan noble, politician, and Cabinet Minister. He represents the ʻEua noble constituency in the Legislative Assembly.