Dive Brief:
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The New York attorney general Monday said it has sent cease-and-desist letters to GNC, Target, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. demanding they remove several herbal supplements from shelves that it says are fraudulent and possibly dangerous products.
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The state’s attorney general’s office tested several bottles in its investigation and found that many products contain fillers that are at best worthless and at worst toxic, especially for people with allergies, officials said.
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Monday’s report marked the first time that a law enforcement agency has taken on major retailers and warned them of legal action over these kinds of supplements, according to the New York Times.
Dive Insight:
The New York State attorney general’s office has been thorough in this matter. Supplement sales are good business for retailers, reaching $23 billion in the U.S. in 2012 and growing some 5% to 7% each year since. But the attorney general’s investigation found failure in labeling, for both unlisted ingredients in the pills and ingredients on the labels that weren’t in the pills. Selling pills with ground carrots and rice, or, even worse, potential allergens like wheat, peanuts, and soy, literally does no one any good.
