LaVita micronutrient concentrate wins Germany's 'Golden Windbag' for most brazen advertising lie of 2026

The vote

A micronutrient concentrate from the Bavarian company LaVita has been named the most brazen advertising lie of 2026. The consumer organisation Foodwatch announced on Tuesday that 39% of roughly 66,000 participants in its online poll awarded the "Goldener Windbeutel" (Golden Windbag) negative prize to the product from Kumhausen in Lower Bavaria.

LaVita kassiert Verbraucher:innen mit dem Wunsch nach Gesundheit kräftig ab.

The prize, awarded since 2009, targets consumer deception in the food sector. Last year's winner was a Milka chocolate bar whose size had been reduced from 100 to 90 grams.

What LaVita claimed

LaVita marketed its micronutrient concentrate as a "Saubertrank" (clean drink), a "Naturprodukt" (natural product), and the "tägliche Basis unserer Gesundheit" (daily basis of our health), promising it would make consumers "fit fürs Leben" (fit for life). The product reportedly contains over 70 varieties of fruit, vegetables, herbs, and plant oils.

What Foodwatch found

According to Foodwatch, the concentrate consists of 70% fruit juice concentrate with 26 isolated vitamins and nutrients added, some of which are overdosed. A half-litre bottle costs €50, equating to €100 per litre. Diana Rubin, head of the Centre for Nutritional Medicine and Diabetology at Vivantes Humboldt-Klinikum, criticised the marketing for suggesting the drink was a natural all-round formula for a fit, healthy life.

Die tägliche Basis der Gesundheit ist aber eine ausgewogene Ernährung.

Foodwatch also noted that the product contains vitamin K, which can be problematic for people taking blood thinners such as Marcumar, yet no explicit warning to consult a doctor before consumption is provided. Even at the lowest recommended dosage, eight vitamins are overdosed.

LaVita's response

LaVita did not initially respond to an AFP request for comment. The company later told Foodwatch and Der Spiegel that it would have the slogan "Fit fürs Leben" legally reviewed again and had already stopped using the term "Saubertrank" in advertising. LaVita also conceded that not all ingredients are entirely natural. The company stated it agrees unreservedly that a balanced diet is the daily basis of health and that its product is meant to optimise a healthy diet, not replace it.

The runners-up

Second place went to Dr. Oetker's "Airfryer Backin Backpulver" with 21.9% of the vote. Marketed as an innovation for hot-air fryers, Foodwatch says it is identical to standard baking powder but costs at least twice as much. Stiftung Warentest found no difference in baking results.

Third place, with 20.8%, was Andechser Natur's Matcha Mango yoghurt. The supposedly central ingredient matcha makes up only 0.1% of the product, while the green colour also comes from spirulina algae powder. The yoghurt contains 60 grams of sugar, equivalent to 20 sugar cubes.

Fourth place went to "Oh Yeah Bear Libido Vitamin" by Beautybears GmbH, gummy bears priced at €25 that promise more passion but, according to Foodwatch, serve the libido about as well as a pack of Haribo.

Broader market concerns

Foodwatch used the award to call for stricter regulation of the supplements market. Alina Nitsche said the market for foods with added vitamins and supplements is booming but barely controlled, and that federal and state authorities must equip food surveillance to stop consumer deception. A separate survey cited by Focus found that 66% of supplement users take them to strengthen the immune system, while only 33% do so because of a medically diagnosed deficiency. Eleven percent reported side effects such as diarrhoea, nausea, or headaches, and 2% experienced interactions with other medications.