Dive Brief:

• Supplement retailer GNC is scheduled to announce Monday that it has agreed to revamp its quality control procedures to go well beyond federal mandates.

• The agreement comes after by the attorney general’s office in New York and other states said that GNC, Target, Wal-Mart Stores, and Walgreens have been selling supplements that are mislabeled and potentially harmful.

• GNC said it would use more sophisticated testing to ensure the ingredients and quality of its supplements, would test for toxins and allergens, would label its products more clearly, and would submit reports twice a year to the New York attorney general’s office to show that it is sticking to the agreement. 

Dive Insight:

A 1994 law regulating the supplements industry, one that is widely seen as being devised by lawmakers with close ties to that industry, is coming under close scrutiny by New York and other states. The supplement business is a big and booming one. But the health effects of the tainted and ill-labeled herbal mixes include several severe cases a year, according to Harvard researcher Pieter Cohen, who has spoken to several media outlets on the matter.

“This should be a standard across the entire industry,” Cohen, told the New York Times, saying that GNC’s agreement is the “absolute minimum” of what should take place. “Today we finally have one first step taken by one retailer, and only after the very aggressive intervention by the New York attorney general’s office.”

Walgreens for its part has said it is still devising its response to the assertive moves by New York, but that it’s cooperating. While it remains to be seen what other retailers will do, it will be difficult for retailers to avoid boosting quality controls; once consumers believe that these supplements will do more harm than good, sales can only suffer.