FTC Warns Social Media Influencers and Trade Groups Over Deceptive Aspartame and Sugar Endorsements

FTC says at least a dozen influencers have failed to provide adequate disclosures about monetary returns they may have received for promoting products.

Samuel Levine, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission, testifies during a Senate subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 1, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/AFP via Getty Images

Warning letters from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have been sent to social media influencers and two trade associations over online endorsements of aspartame, an artificial sweetener, and promoting products containing sugar.

According to the Nov. 15 press release from the FTC, at least a dozen online health influencers have failed to provide adequate disclosures about monetary compensation they may have received for promoting the products in their Instagram and TikTok posts.