I don’t get mad very often. But this morning, I’m absolutely steamed – because something that’s very important to both you and me is under attack. Your vitamins, supplements, and herbal remedies are closer than ever to being taken from you thanks to a publicity-seeking attorney general with an axe to grind. As I’m sure you’ve seen on the news, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman ordered four big retailers – Walmart, Target, GNC and Walgreens – to pull a bunch of supplements after DNA tests found they didn’t contain what was listed on the label.

But guess what? There are multiple – MULTIPLE – tests that can tell you exactly what’s inside every single capsule of a supplement. There’s simple titration, chromatography and mass spectrometry, and all of them are routinely used to check on ingredients. And the attorney general used exactly none of these proven techniques, choosing instead a highly experimental DNA test that is known to be problematic. Dr. Pieter Cohen of Harvard University, a noted supplement safety expert, told the New York Times that the manufacturing process often damages or destroys plant DNA so it can’t be picked up by those tests. To make matters even worse, the New York attorney general didn’t hire an expert in botanicals to conduct the test. He hired an “evolutionary biologist” who specializes in lizards! Talk about the wrong man for the job! Yet on the basis of a series of flawed tests, the attorney general called out an entire industry – because he’s already made it clear that this is about more than just Walmart, Target, GNC, and Walgreens. “The burden is now with the industry to prove what is in these supplements,” executive deputy attorney general Marty Mack was quoted as saying. How ignorant is that?

The entire industry DOES prove what’s inside its supplements, every single day. I know, because I’ve had a hands-on role putting my own line of supplements together for years now. We are required by law to stick to strict Good Manufacturing Practices, including those tests I mentioned earlier, every step of the way. And along with having to prove what’s in your supplements, there are regular FDA inspections. Now, I don’t know how this will shake out with Walmart, Target, GNC and Walgreens. If there are problems with their products that’s a problem. But no one has shown this to be the case yet. Certainly, you get what you pay for – and even if they contain the promised ingredients, the quality you deserve just might not be there. But I do know this: You can’t go wrong with quality supplements from a manufacturer you trust instead. Yes, they cost a little more – and they’re worth every penny, too.

References:

New York Attorney General Targets Supplements at Major Retailers CRN Criticizes New York State Attorney General 'Sting' on Herbal Dietary Supplements As Uninformed, Reckless and Inexcusable