Irwin Naturals agrees $2.65 million settlement over supplements
The settlement, which does not require the company to admit liability or fault, is reportedly the biggest paid for unfair business practices by a supplement manufacturer in California, according to the Associated Press.
In addition to the $2.65 million, Irwin was ordered to add labels to its products with warnings about lead.
Under California’s Proposition 65, a law enacted in 1986 in California to protect the state's citizens from exposure to certain harmful chemicals, the LA-based company was accused of marketing products with lead levels that exceeded legal limits.
According to the AP, some of the company’s Hoodia products contained levels of lead that were 10 times the allowed level, while over 14 times the legal limit of lead was also reportedly detected in a green tea based product.
After being informed of the test results, Irwin Naturals ceased selling products and reportedly reformulated many of its products.
The case was settled Tuesday in Orange County with district attorneys from Alameda, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano and Sonoma counties.
