This is a follow up report for this thread: http://pherotruth.org/Thread-Terrible-ne...me-testers

(Reuters) - GNC Holdings Inc said it restored certain herbal supplements to its stores in New York after reaching an agreement with the state's attorney general that its products complied with the Food and Drug Administration's guidelines.

GNC also agreed to adopt testing standards for herbal supplements that exceed FDA requirements, a first in the United States, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement.

The end of a dispute that started on Feb. 2 sent the company's shares up as much as 8 percent to a 52-week high of $49.65 on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday.

The company did not have to pay any monetary damages, just implement reforms, Elizabeth DeBold, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General's office said.

GNC was one of four retailers that halted sales of certain supplements after being subpoenaed by Schneiderman as DNA tests failed to detect plant materials that the companies claimed were a part of their supplements.

Both internal and independent third-party tests had proved that GNC's "products are safe, pure, properly labeled and in full compliance with all regulatory requirements", the company said in a statement on Monday.

GNC had said earlier that tests showed its products contained all herbal extracts listed on labels, and on Monday the company said it had restarted selling its Herbal Plus products.

A study commissioned by the Attorney General to determine the presence or absence of the DNA of certain plants in some herbal supplements also found GNC's products were within prescribed FDA guidelines, Schneiderman's statement said.

GNC will start DNA barcoding within 18 months to confirm the authenticity of all plants used as sources for its herbal supplements prior to processing, Schneiderman said.

The company would test for allergen contamination pre and post production and had also agreed to prominently disclose in its stores and on its website if a supplement product was derived from whole herbs or extracts, Schneiderman said.

Herbal Plus is part of GNC's vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements business, which accounts for almost 40 percent of its U.S. retail revenue.

The investigation into the supplements sold by Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc, Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Target Corp was ongoing, DeBold said.

Walgreens was reviewing the matter and intends to continue cooperating with the Attorney General's office, spokesperson James Graham said.

Wal-Mart and Target were not available for comment.

(Reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bengaluru and Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/3...7920150330

That's great news for the supplement industry, in terms of ensuring we receive quality products containing the ingredients we've intended to purchase.

I'm wondering about other country, if this problem is only found in the US. Compared to Europe the US seems pretty loosed about food requirement.
It seems like any company if they are big enough they can do anything and if they get caught they don't pay anything.
This is crazy, I just bought a lot of supplements recently, it cost a lot. So if it's just rice , that is the biggest stealing ever found, just after money.

(02-14-2015 9:13 AM)stefdude Wrote:  I only get supplements from well respected and tested companies like Solgar or Lamberts.A very informed doctor told me you can't even trust the pharmaceutical brands, he knows many scandals from known companies that didn't have what they listed.Imagine what is happening with all those bodybuilding brands.I send him links of 2 of me most popular bodybuilding multivitamins and he said me there is no chance, not even 1/1000, to have what they list at that price.They usually have one factory in USA that is up to the standards and all the rest in Pakistan etc selling only a portion of what the are listing.People see intense yellow urine (from the B excretion) and are convinced that it must be legit.Also complete chemical analysis costs 10000 or so, so review sites that supposed to have tested them could also be in the game or just test from the control factory.

He told me about a scandal some years back, from a pharmaceutical providing cancer drug to hospitals in Cyprus, the drug proved to be fake.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkroll/2...ng-fungus/
http://www.northjersey.com/news/business...-1.1136267

The supplements I bought come from Solgar imported by a french company.

It has taken FOREVER for such to happen!

Can't understand why it took so long! Only in America?

That is awesome! So until they do so, any reputable supplement companies out there?

(04-01-2015 12:37 AM)Alpha360 Wrote:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkroll/2...ng-fungus/
http://www.northjersey.com/news/business...-1.1136267

The supplements I bought come from Solgar imported by a french company.

This is not a case of scamming though

(04-01-2015 8:47 AM)SeekingSuccess Wrote:  That is awesome! So until they do so, any reputable supplement companies out there?

Jarrow and Country Life are generally pretty reliable.

Himalaya has worked well for me, I take their StressCare and Bacopa supplements.

If you're looking at bodybuilding supps, have a look at JYM line on bodybuilding.com from Jim Stoppani. All non-proprietary, a little on the expensive side compared to other supps, but I'd rather pay more for quality non-prop formulae than pay anything for proprietary stuff which I don't know what else they have in there and at what amounts.

I'll second Himalaya, though arguably the most reliable are LEF and Douglas Labs.