New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced a landmark agreement with GNC to implement new standards in herbal supplements purity, and educating consumers about their chemical content.
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Under this agreement, GNC will perform DNA barcoding on the “active†plant ingredients used in its products; implement testing for contamination with allergens, both before and after production; and post prominent signage advising consumers of the processed, chemical nature of extracts.
GNC will be required to implement these new procedures in all of its more than 6,000 stores nationwide, making this agreement the first in the nation to require testing standards for herbal supplements that exceed current FDA requirements.
“When consumers take an herbal supplement, they should be able to do so with full knowledge of what is in that product and confidence that every precaution was taken to ensure its authenticity and purity,†said Attorney General Schneiderman.
“When it comes to consumer health, we expect companies to reach a high safety bar. Without tests and safeguards, including those that rule out dangerous allergens, these supplements pose unacceptable risks to New York families. I urge all herbal supplements manufacturers and retailers to join GNC in working with my office to increase transparency and put the safety of their customers first.â€
Last month, Attorney General Schneiderman sent cease-and-desist letters to GNC, Target, Walgreens and Walmart, after a study commissioned by his office failed to detect identifiable genetic material for the plants depicted on the labels in most of the four retailers' herbal supplement products.
The study further detected DNA associated with plants not listed on the labels, as well as the presence of potential allergens. In launching his investigation, the Attorney General raised concerns about the measures put in place by manufacturers and retailers to ensure the authenticity and purity of herbal supplements – which are taken by more than half of all American adults – and the sufficiency of federal standards regulating this $60 billion worldwide industry.
Earlier this month, joined by the Connecticut and Indiana state attorneys general and the Puerto Rico Secretary of Consumer Affairs, Attorney General Schneiderman formed a coalition to further investigate the business practices of the herbal supplement industry.
Authentication: Within 18 months, GNC will begin utilizing DNA barcoding to confirm the authenticity of all plants used as sources for its herbal supplements products prior to processing. This will ensure the presence of a biological connection between the source plant and the extract that is eventually included in GNC's supplements.
Broad testing for contaminants: GNC will implement a sweeping, randomized testing protocol for the eight most common allergens – defined by the FDA as milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat
Consumer transparency: GNC will prominently display signs in stores across the country and include language on its website indicating whether a supplement product is derived from whole herbs or extracts and explaining the difference between those two processes.
Reporting: GNC will provide semiannual reports to the Attorney General's Office, detailing all plant species sourced after authentication using DNA barcoding; the name and address of all facilities in which DNA barcode authentication was performed; a list of materials rejected as a consequence of the results of the barcoding and the results of the randomized testing for common allergens. ■