Mannatech Gaining Higher Profile Associate Claims
The photos have appeared on the Web, in magazines and on the cover of a widely circulated pamphlet.
Classic "before" and "after," they depict a girl named Michelle, first as a child with the obvious characteristics of Down syndrome, then as a seemingly typical teen.
STAR-TELEGRAM/STEWART F. HOUSEThe offices of Mannatech in Coppell, near Grapevine Mills Mall. The maker of dietary supplements has seen its sales growth surge in the past three years.
For advocates of Mannatech Inc., the girl's physical transformation is a testament to the power of the Coppell-based company's dietary supplements, plant extracts said to provide the body with essential sugars.
"Pictures don't lie," they say, using them to sell the company's products, known as glyconutrients.
But what some perceive as a miracle is for others nothing more than the selling of false hope.
"Distasteful" and "misinformation" are just some of the words critics have used.
Michelle's story and others like it define the culture surrounding Mannatech, a publicly traded company that in recent years has enjoyed surging sales while facing mounting skepticism.
Comments