A woman who will today be sentenced for her role in a multimillion pound bogus slimming scheme is still selling diet drops online, a special Press and Journal investigation has revealed.
Just a day after Helen Buchan and her sister Carol Wiseman admitted misleading thousands of customers about the “revolutionary” impact their product would have on waistlines, Secret Drops were being marketed online.
Experts studied the contents of a bottle of Secret Drops purchased from the site by the P&J within the past few days – and dismissed them as having no effect on weight loss.
Trading standards yesterday confirmed they are aware the company is still trading online in diet drops, and that action would be taken if further offences were being committed.
Officers believed that Secret Diet Drops Ltd made £2million in two years of trading the diet drops, and apple cider vinegar – which they told customers would help break down fat, kill cancer cells and help with arthritis.
Buchan appears to have been actively involved in diet drop sales on the site since her last court appearance, while both her and Wiseman’s names appear on a printed diet plan, which accompanies the drops in delivery packages.
When approached by the Press and Journal at her home in Fraserburgh yesterday, Buchan declined to comment and said “things had been hard enough already” due to the court case.
Today the pair, who both live in Fraserburgh, are due to be sentenced at Peterhead Sheriff Court after last month admitting making false claims to customers about their products.
Secret Diet Drops Ltd admitted that between July 23, 2013 and January 7, 2015 it falsely advertised and sold the diet drops, and claimed they would contribute, and were necessary to help weight loss when following an eating plan it provided.
After spotting an advert on the company’s Facebook page – which has over 93,000 members – the P&J purchased a small bottle of Secret Drops, priced at £9.99. The larger bottle, for the 23-day plan, is £35.
Users are advised to take 15 drops three times a day, and to stick to the eating plan that accompanies the bottle of drops.
According to the website, those taking part “have to be ready for the low calorie plan and drinking lots of water that you have to take along with the Secret Drop before you would notice any difference.”
And they advise: “You will not lose weight with the drops alone, you need to follow a strict food plan and drink lots of water to get any benefits.”
But when asked to analyse the list of ingredients of the drops we bought, the British Dietetic Association said there was “no evidence” they would contribute to weight loss “using the scientific data available at the moment”.
Aisling Pigott, a dietitian and spokesman for BDA, examined the bottle of drops and eating plan included.
She said: “Even if there is some evidence behind individual ingredients, there is nothing strong enough to be promoted by the scientific community or medical professionals.”
The drops would make “no contribution whatsoever” she added, and losing weight would instead be down to a restrictive diet.
Looking at the plan, she estimated people would be eating about 700kcal plus 50g of protein a day.
She described it as “a very low, moderate protein diet” likely to result in weight through fluid, fat and muscle loss.
It was low in fibre, she said with increased risk of constipation, and long term potentially heart disease and bowel disease.
A pharmacist, who did not want to be named, said last night there were no harmful ingredients in the drop but that there were just extracts from things that would normally appear in a person’s diet.
When the P&J contacted Aberdeenshire Council’s trading standards about the fact Buchan and Wiseman appear to still be selling the drops, they confirmed they were aware of the issue.
Manager Wilma Urquhart said: “We were extremely pleased this company pleaded guilty to misleading consumers and await sentencing on March 24.
“We are aware this business is continuing to trade and will be establishing what products are now being sold and whether or not further misleading claims are being made.
“If there is evidence this is happening we are committed to taking whatever further action is necessary to put a stop to it.”
Who was buying the Secret Drop Plan?
The P&J conducted a snapshot analysis of the users of the Secret Drop Plan website.
From a sample of 5,000 visits – directed to the site via Twitter – 70% were women.
The analysis also showed about 20% of visits were from users in America, while 15% came from the UK.
Those who sign up for the plan can order either a small sample bottle, for the six-day plan, or a larger one for the 23-day plan.
The website tells participants they will need to “promise” themselves to stay off alcohol while on the diet.
But it states: “Don’t be thinking about the hardship of the plan. Be cheerful and think how life will be.”
Background: The last court appearance
The two Fraserburgh women admitted misleading their customers when they appeared in court last month.
Peterhead Sheriff Court heard Buchan and Wiseman sold Secret Diet Drops and apple cider vinegar online, claiming they would make people feel less hungry.
They told customers the apple cider vinegar, which was advertised principally through a Facebook page, would help break down fat, kill cancer cells or reduce their growth, and help with arthritis.
Trading standards said the company generated more than £2million in its first two years of trading, from people misled into believing the products would work.
Secret Diet Drops Ltd admitted between July 23, 2013 and January 7, 2015 it falsely advertised and sold Secret Diet Drops claiming the drops would contribute, and were necessary to, help weight loss, when following an eating plan it provided.
The firm also admitted making claims about the cider vinegar’s health benefits between June 21, 2013 and July 23, 2013.
Buchan, 49, of 8 Greenbank Grove, Fraserburgh, and Wiseman, 48, of 1 Burns Place, Fraserburgh, also admitted charges of allowing sales and false claims to be made.
The court heard a diet plan was included with the drops, including foods to eat but customers were told the supplement was necessary to lose weight.
Trading standards went to scientific experts about the claims but fiscal depute David Bernard said: “Any effect on body weight from the regime would be from a reduction in calorie intake, not from the drops.”