Ad description
A webpage on the website www.theturmeric.co, seen on 20 April 2026, for the Turmeric Co. mixed box, featured the heading, “Blurry here. Crystal clear on Trustpilot. Regulations mean we can’t show everything on this page, but you can read the lot over there”.
Testimonials in the form of Facebook comments featured the claims, “I have had a [blurred words]. Whilst it’s not “cured” the [blurred word] has halved at least since I started my shots”, “One month in and my [blurred words] and [blurred words] is very much reduced", “Love these shots! I’m convinced they really help my [blurred words]”, “Honestly these shots feel like you are putting real goodness back into your body. I have taken them now for 12 days and after day 8 I had so much more energy and [blurred words] and [blurred word] were reducing. I am at the wonderful beginning of menopause age 52 and I was starting feeling like I was 90! I was use [sic] to running a good 50k a week and I was lucky if I didn’t need a lay down when tackling the stairs. I cannot believe how different I feel! Even my [blurred words] has gone”, “It’s been an amazing journey! I’m recovering [blurred words] and [blurred words]. I’ve never felt this great!”.
Further testimonials featured the claims, “I have had on and off [blurred words] problems for the best part of 20 years, I am now nearly 8 weeks into Turmeric co shots and I can genuinely say I have not felt this good in years”, “I bought these for my partner who is 77, he suffers [blurred words], and puts [blurred word] on twice a day. Since he started taking the shots he has not had to use the cream at all”, “I must say it has changed my life. No more [blurred words] and it has given me my life back. Introduced my father to them and the same thing had happened with him”, “Into my second month of using the shots and can honestly say the [blurred word] are nowhere near as bad.”, “A wonderful product which has really helped with [blurred words] and [blurred word]. Always arrives on time and all the flavours in the mixed box are super tasty”.
Issue
The complainant challenged whether the claims in the testimonials stated or implied that the supplements could help to prevent, treat or cure human disease, which was prohibited by the Code.
Response
Innate-Essence Ltd t/a the Turmeric Co. said the testimonials were genuine consumer reviews that they had included on their website to reflect customers’ experiences. They said they were aware of the restrictions in the CAP Code, and redacted words that referred to health conditions. The heading had been intended to make clear that the wording had been blurred for regulatory reasons and to direct website users to Trustpilot, where unedited third-party reviews appeared outside their control.
Although they had used the blurred testimonials, they accepted that the approach was insufficient, and removed all testimonials of that kind from the website. They said they were committed to ensuring the site complied with the Code.
Assessment
Upheld
The CAP Code prohibited claims which stated or implied a food could prevent, treat or cure human disease.
The ad featured testimonials for the Turmeric Co. mixed box of food supplements in which selected words had been blurred. The blurred words were surrounded by references to being “cured”, “halved”, or “very much reduced”, to no longer needing to use a cream, to recovering from illness, and to symptoms being “nowhere near as bad”. We considered those surrounding references indicated that the blurred wording referred to medical conditions, rather than general wellbeing or normal bodily functions. We considered the blurring did not remove the overall meaning of the testimonials, and that instead, consumers were effectively invited to fill in the omitted wording from the context of each statement. We considered the claim “Blurry here. Crystal clear on Trustpilot. Regulations mean we can’t show everything on this page, but you can read the lot over there” was likely to reinforce that understanding.
We therefore considered that, although no specific health conditions or diseases were named in the ad, the testimonials were likely to be understood as claims that the Turmeric Co.’s food supplements could prevent, treat or cure human disease.
While we welcomed the Turmeric Co.’s action to remove the testimonials, because at the time the ad was seen it included claims that implied that a food supplement could prevent, treat or cure human disease, we concluded that the ad breached the Code.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 15.6 and 15.6.2 (Food, food supplements and associated health or nutrition claims).
Action
The ad must not appear again in the form complained of. We told Innate-Essence Ltd t/a the Turmeric Co. to ensure their future advertising did not make claims that food could prevent, treat or cure human disease.
