A new Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program bulletin lays out how Nigella seed products are adulterated with similar looking seeds and how the oil is sometimes cut with lower cost seed oils.
A new paper by a cadre of experts in the analysis of botanical ingredients has added a valuable resource to quality control in this sector, an expert says.
The use of dodgy ingredients in sports nutrition products has gotten less attention in recent years, but experts say unscrupulous formulators continue to find ways to play in the penumbra of the sports nutrition sector.
A controversial paper that used a DNA testing methodology to allege widespread adulteration in herbal products has been allowed to stand unrevised, despite calls for its retraction.
The Department of Justice has sentenced the owner of Albuquerque-based Allstar Nutrition to three years’ probation for selling misbranded performance enhancing drugs.
A further examination of adverse events reports further elucidates how unlikely it is that white mulberry could cause the kinds of problems that led to the tragic death of the wife of a prominent public official.
A new study from a group led by prominent industry critic Dr Pieter Cohen, MD, found a drug used in China sold in dietary supplements in the United States, in some cases at dosages apparently exceeding what’s used in clinical practice.
A study published yesterday by a group that included researchers from the University of Mississippi found that fewer than half of 30 immune supplements bought on Amazon had labels that accurately reflected their contents.
This year’s NutraIngredients-USA NutraChampion, Rick Kingston, PharmD, presented at the Dietary Supplement Regulatory Summit. The one day event included the five heavy hitters representing the industry: Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA),...
The US Food and Drug Administration has sent warning letters to four companies marketing sexual enhancement supplements ostensibly based on honey but which contained undeclared ED drugs. The warning letters were part of a ongoing enforcement effort on...
Alkemist Labs claims many pesticide analyses conducted in the industry may be missing tests for some chemicals used as microbial agents and/or fungicides.
An elderberry product marketer has agreed to drop claims that its products contain elderberry in an advertising challenge lodged by Nature’s Way Brands, LLC, which has exposed elderberry adulteration in the past.
A new study that sampled dozens of commercially available CBD products found detectable THC levels in 64% of them. Some levels were high enough to approach therapeutic thresholds or to potentially trigger drug test failures.
In an ongoing market surveillance program, supplement manufacturer NOW has revealed a new trick spotted on Amazon to deceive consumers about what a product’s testing results actually mean.
Amendments offered by Sen. Mitt Romney, R-UT, could soften some of the hardest edges in an FDA fee reauthorization bill that includes language meant to tighten the regulation of dietary supplements. But the bill still sets a very troubling precedent,...
Alkemist Labs has announced a new quality and transparency program featuring validated, simplified test documents that can be shared with clients and customers. It’s the culmination of a seven year development process, the company said.
A new publication from the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) will help marketers of ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) leaf extracts products find the best analytical methods to verify this botanical.
FDA has issued a draft guidance on how to accredit foreign certifying bodies. The document will help clarify a highly technical aspect of the Food Safety and Modernization Act and will remind dietary supplement firms that it’s high time to get their...
The Natural Products Association has sent a letter to Senators Dick Durbin and Mike Braun extensively rebutting assertions made in support of their bill that requires mandatory product listing for dietary supplements.
Adulteration issues and less science backing than other botanicals has depressed bilberry sales, according to branded ingredient firm Maypro. But the company points to a new indication for pain that could help reinvigorate the market.
A new FDA draft guidance on food allergens lays out the factors the Agency will use to evaluate the risk posed by substances beyond the nine major allergens now on or soon to be added to the list.
The essential oils marketplace presents monumental quality challenges, attendees at a recent conference were told. But with proper attention, chemical standardization is possible, and a secure supply chain and reliable product specifications will allow...
The pandemic has changed the mindset of many, with people beginning to value their time more than ever. As a result, people are leaving their jobs in search of more money, more flexibility and more happiness. With millions of workers saying 'I quit'...
New research is shedding light on why some dietary supplement users suffer liver injury from some common products while most consumers do not. This latest information was shared at a prominent botanical science conference at the University of Mississippi.
The Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program has published its 71st publication, the director of the program said recently at the Expo West trade show recently.
The American Herbal Pharmacopoeia is cooperating with the Indian government to develop a series of monographs to better substantiate popular Ayurvedic botanicals, including some important in the stress management sphere.
The last chapter of the Blackstone Labs book has closed, with a Florida man sentenced to 51 months in prison for his role while working at the sports and dietary supplements brand.
A new bulletin from the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) outlines the ongoing adulteration issues for saffron, “one of the most widely adulterated botanical ingredients worldwide”.
An analytical study on marine sourced dietary supplements found different forms of arsenic present in most of them, but at sub-toxic levels. GOED said the results were not a concern to consumers with the caveat that the risk posed by one of the arsenic...
Phillip (PJ) Braun was ordered to 54 months in prison – the same sentence as his former business partner, Aaron Singerman, for their roles at Blackstone Labs.
Grapefruit seed extract, a dubious ingredient that seems to have more lives than a cat, has made another official appearance, this time in a warning letter from the US Food and Drug Administration.
A large survey of supplement use among US military personnel reported as many as 18% of respondents experienced an adverse event. But methodology questions makes it difficult to take those numbers at face value, an expert says.
By Mark Blumenthal, Founder & Executive Director, American Botanical Council
ABC continues its ongoing commitment to science-based herbal medicinal products and practices, supporting an authentic and sustainable/regenerative global value network with a wide variety of reports, educational materials, and quality and sustainability...
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has published a commentary raising potential safety and quality control concerns about the delta-8 THC products flooding the market. The document also raised issues with other cannabinoids that are being isolated...
The demand spike caused by the global pandemic has been a bonanza for the botanical supplements industry. But ABC chief Mark Blumenthal says it has been the biggest threat of adulteration during his time in the industry, too.
Tests on omega-3 marine oils used in dietary supplements has revealed one product exceeded concentration limits of harmful pollutants such as dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
The unprecedented growth of elderberry demand carries with it a potential poison pill if dilution produces enough ineffective products that consumer confidence is lost, one supplier maintains.
NOW has released its latest round of testing of products sold on Amazon and found that the glutathione supplements it bought were of reasonable quality, though some failures in potency and purity were still observed.
FDA has issued a warning letter to dietary supplement manufacturer that is based in part on the presence of the problematical ingredient higenamine in some of the company’s products.
A new investigation into 116 Magnesium (Mg) food supplements on the Polish market reveals that huge differences between the declared and the actual content mean users may consume up to 304% more or 98% less Mg per day than they realise.
US federal regulatory agencies have issued warnings on the availability of delta-8 THC, saying reports of almost 150 recent emergency room visits have mentioned the substance.
Amazon heightened the priority of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 when it announced to dietary supplement sellers that ISO accreditation is required, along with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) in order to sell products on its online retail platform.
