Containing NY attorney general’s investigation into supplements
NPA members educated legislators about the damage to the supplement industry caused by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s order that four major retailers discontinue the sale of some store brand supplements after he alleged DNA testing came up empty or verified contamination with other plant material.
“It is kind of a witch hunt,” Peter Zambetti of Capsugel told Molly McDonnell, legislative assistant for Rep. Leonard Lance of New Jersey. He explained that Schneiderman’s campaign is creating bad press that is scaring consumers away from supplements and damaging business, but that the attorney general has not released publically the data on which his accusations are founded.
“What would be ideal is if he would release the data to FDA, if not publically, so that FDA could decide if the data is valid” and by extension the accusations, added Joe Weiss, vice president of corporate brands at The Vitamin Shoppe. He added the DNA barcoding method used by Schneiderman is inappropriate for botanical extracts.