By Susie Cohen Tv And Radio Reporter For The Daily Mail
Published: 22:02 BST, 21 April 2019 | Updated: 22:04 BST, 21 April 2019
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Holland and Barrett staff are misleading customers with false claims about weight-loss pills, an investigation has found.
Sales assistants in five branches of the health food chain suggested supplements to undercover reporters which can be ‘dangerous’ to take.
Holland and Barrett is the UK’s biggest health food retailer, making over £150million in profit last year.
According to the shop’s website, ‘staff undergo a training course with Holland and Barrett’s own training academy – boasting a nationally recognised QCF [Qualifications and Credit Framework] qualification’.
Holland and Barrett staff are misleading customers with false claims about weight-loss pills, an investigation found
Five assistants from the UK’s biggest health food retailer suggest supplements to undercover reporters that can be 'dangerous' to take
A Channel 4 Supershoppers probe saw undercover reporters go into five shops to ask if staff could recommend anything for weight loss.
All five assistants chose products containing chromium – with staff telling reporters it will ‘stop you craving sugar’.
One said: ‘If you have a particular craving for sugar, chromium is the one that when you take it, it will stop you craving sugar.
Chromium is said to help people lose weight by suppressing their appetite and raising their temperature, which burns off energy.
But reviews of scientific studies have found no good-quality evidence that it works.
Although there are no safety concerns about taking chromium supplements in small doses, reported side-effects include headaches, vomiting and
