My Jinga juice inc Philippines scam or not?

jinga juice scam or not?

This is another newly launched company, just July this year, spear headed by Mr. Gary C. Norman, a popular personality in MLM/Networking industry. They are selling health drinks with wheatgrass and Guyabano (a local tropical fruit abundant in the Philippines). Their compensation plan is Binary, a controversial model that is has been commonly used by MLM companies. I would assume everybody is familiar with it so I will not expand on that. Let me go directly to my perceived issues.

Issues of concern

The first thing that caught my attention aside from the controversial binary pyramid shaped model is the products price, which I think is ridiculously high. Although the retail price is double that of the distributors price, It is important that we consider it because it will be the basis of weather or not it has a fair market value. It is in the 8 point rule of DSAP to have a product that has a fair market value. The product has to pass this point so that members can earn mainly via selling, not recruiting otherwise they are considered as an illegal pyramid scheme.

Let me make it clear that I am not a DSAP officer or have any authority to judge any product if it has fair market price. But I will try and use my common sense and give my opinion, my guide question is very simple,
Am I willing to pay this certain amount for a juice, coffee, tea or milk?

Here are the prices:

Jinga juice drink- wheatgrass and guyabano extract
1box/12 sachet= 780 php

Jinga 4 in 1 coffee- coffee, sugar, cream, wheatgrass
1box/10 sachet= 400 php

Jinga milk tea with guyabano
1box/12sachet= 780 php

Jinga grapeseed oil.
1 medicine bottle= 1,200 php

Now, if I am going to ask myself am I going to pay this kind of amount for these sort of products? My immediate answer will be hell no!! I believe its way too expensive. How much is a kilo of guyabano fruit? Is it imported? I can even grow it in my backyard!!
And there is no way that its healthier to drink a processed powdered juice drink of it than eating it as a fruit.

How about wheatgrass? Although this plant is not a native here in the Philippines, it is very common and widely farmed across the world. Wheatgrass is a food prepared from the cotyledons of the common wheat plant, there in nothing special about it, so it should be expected to have a not so special price.

Wheatgrass Health Claims

Proponents of wheatgrass make many claims for its health properties, ranging from promotion of general well-being to cancer prevention and heavy metal detoxification. These claims have not been satisfactorily substantiated in the scientific literature.[1] There is some limited evidence of beneficial pharmacological effects from chlorophyll, though this does not necessarily apply to dietary chlorophyll.[5][6]

There are a number of other small studies and pilots on the possible benefits of wheatgrass juice. According to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,[7] there may be a need for further study of wheatgrass therapy for ulcerative collitis; they cite a small pilot study which showed regular wheatgrass juice therapy significantly reduced rectal bleeding and overall disease activity.[8]

It has been claimed that wheatgrass helps blood flow, digestion and general detoxification of the body. These claims have not been reliably substantiated. However, in one pilot study of children with thalassemia (a hereditary form of anemia which often requires blood transfusions), of the patients who were given 100 ml of wheatgrass juice daily, half showed reduced need for transfusions. No adverse effects were observed.[9] Another small study of transfusion-dependent patients suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome responded similarly to wheatgrass therapy; that is, the intervals between needed transfusions were increased. In addition, the chelation effect (removal of heavy metals from the blood) was studied for the same patients; the wheatgrass therapy showed a significant iron chelation effect.[10]In another pilot, which was not placebo controlled, breast cancer patients who drank wheatgrass juice daily showed a decreased need for blood- and bone marrow-building medications during chemotherapy, without diminishing the effects of the therapy.[11]The food has demonstrated in vitro cytotoxicity to HL-60 (Human promyelocytic leukemia cells).[12]

Nutritional content

Wheatgrass proponent Schnabel claimed in the 1940s that "fifteen pounds of wheatgrass is equal in overall nutritional value to 350 pounds of ordinary garden vegetables",[2] a ratio of 1:23.[3] Despite claims of vitamin and mineral content disproportional to other vegetables, the nutrient content of wheatgrass juice is roughly equivalent to that of common vegetables (see table 1).

Table 1. Nutrient comparison of 1 oz (28.35 g) of wheatgrass juice, broccoli and spinach.

Nutrient                         Wheatgrass Juice            Broccoli            Spinach

Protein                                860 mg                            800 mg                 810 mg

Beta-carotene                    120 IU                             177 IU                 2658 IU

Vitamin E                           880 mcg                           220 mcg               580 mcg

Vitamin C                          1 mg                                 25.3 mg                8 mg

Vitamin B12                      0.30 mcg                          0 mcg                   0 mcg

Phosphorus                       21 mg                               19 mg                  14 mg

Magnesium                       8 mg                                 6 mg                    22 mg

Calcium                             7.2 mg                              13 mg                  28 mg

Iron                                     0.66 mg                            0.21 mg              0.77 mg

Potassium                          42 mg                               90 mg                  158 mg

Data on broccoli and spinach from USDA database.[4] Data on Wheatgrass juice from indoor grown wheatgrass.[2]

Wheatgrass is also claimed to be superior to other vegetables in its content of vitamin B12, a vital nutrient.[citation needed] Contrary to popular belief, B12 is not contained within wheat grass or any vegetable, rather it is a byproduct of the microorganisms living on plants.[13] Analysis of B12 content in wheatgrass has confirmed that it contains negligible amounts of the compound.[14]

Detoxification

Another common claim for wheatgrass is that it promotes detoxification. The limited data in support of that claim applies to most green vegetables.[15]

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatgrass)
 

Disclaimer 

This article is not an accusation, this is just my thoughts and opinion from my own research, critical thinking and common sense. I am not a professional in any field so this writings may not be treated as such.

If you wish to add a point, agree or disagree with me, your valuable comments are welcomed below.

Is this a legitimate MLM/Networking or a recruitment based pyramiding scheme? Read my other post and you decide.. http://scamornotdebate.blogspot.com/2013/05/mlmnetworking-scam-or-not.html