Adulteration

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY SURVEY

NutraIngredients-USA survey on the state of the US Dietary Supplements industry in 2020

02-Dec-2020 By Stephen Daniells

How has Covid-19 affected business? Beyond immunity which categories were big winners in 2020? And did we learn anything about delivery formats this year?

Adulterants Bulletin highlights ongoing problem of depleted Milk Thistle material

20-Oct-2020 By Stephen Daniells

The incidence of Milk Thistle material that contains little or no silymarin (the active constituents) is ‘relatively high’ and represents an ‘ongoing problem’, according to a new bulletin from the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program...

Could 2021 be THE worst year in memory for botanical supply?

Experts sound alarm over 2021 botanical supply challenges

12-Oct-2020 By Stephen Daniells

As sales of dietary supplements and natural products remain high – and many companies report record sales – the strain on the supply chain is immense, and for botanicals in particular, and that means a difficult 2021 could be on the horizon.

Saw Palmetto supply: ABC-SHP webinar explores adulteration and sustainability

09-Oct-2020 By Stephen Daniells

Why is Saw Palmetto so vulnerable to adulteration? How did 2020's harvest compare to 2019's 'bumper crop'? And what efforts are underway to ensure the sustainable, high-quality supply of this important botanical? Experts weighed in...

Nature’s Way finds more evidence of widespread elderberry adulteration

23-Sep-2020 By Hank Schultz

Testing done by supplement manufacturer Nature’s Way and publicized by the American Botanical Council further solidifies the notion that adulteration of elderberry products is on the rise.

CSPI urges FDA to do more to crack down on tianeptine sales

26-Aug-2020 By Hank Schultz

A nonprofit group has asked FDA to crack down on the sale of tianeptine, an ingredient that is sold as an antidepressant drug in many markets outside of the United States.

Majority of lavender products on market adulterated in some way, BAPP bulletin reveals

09-Jul-2020 By Hank Schultz

A new publication from the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program reveals that as many as 90% of the lavender essential oil products on the market can be considered to be adulterated.

Elderberry demand continues; so does adulteration

06-Jul-2020 By Hank Schultz

The huge spike in demand for elderberry products has seen a rise in the amount of adulterated material entering the market, sources say.

UFC fighter loses court case over tainted multivitamin

23-Jun-2020 By Danielle Masterson

UFC fighter Lyman Good claims his multi-vitamin was adulterated with an illegal steroid, causing him to fail a drug test, but according to a judge, he failed to make his case.

Study rings alarm on avocado oil, finds 82% expired or adulterated

18-Jun-2020 By Danielle Masterson

Researchers issue a call to action to establish standards and cautions there is “an urgent need to develop standards for avocado oil.”

FDA study finds hidden synthetic ingredients, poor quality control in bitter orange supplements

17-Jun-2020 By Hank Schultz

A US Food and Drug Administration study reveals that a number of the products it tested labeled as ‘bitter orange’ did not meet label claim for synephrine content and more than 10% contained undeclared synthetic ingredients.

Alkemist Labs rings alarm on doctored C of A certificates

14-May-2020 By Danielle Masterson

Alkemist Labs' CEO Elan Sudberg says he's seen evidence that some ingredient suppliers and marketing companies have been altering valid lab reports and using those falsified reports to promote their products.

Xsto's new cell culture form of echinacea could hit sweet spot in market threatened by adulteration

13-Apr-2020 By Hank Schultz

Branded ingredient supplier Xsto Solutions is launching a new echinacea product line based on a cell culture technology that hits the market at a what might prove to be a propitious time when supply of this botanical has been skewed by a huge spike in...

CORONAVIRUS: SPOTLIGHT ON THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Echinacea demand spike likely to cause bottlenecks, price increases

10-Apr-2020 By Hank Schultz

The rapid increase in demand for echinacea products is putting a strain on the supply system that may take some time to sort through, suppliers say.

CORONAVIRUS: SPOTLIGHT ON THE SUPPLY CHAIN

ABC/ BAPP: ‘We are deeply concerned about the integrity of the botanical supply chains’

08-Apr-2020 By Stephen Daniells

As disruptions due to the novel Coronavirus ripple through global supply chains, plus FDA’s announcement that it is reducing inspections, the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) is urging buyers to be “more vigilant than ever”.

BAPP lab guidance on turmeric comes as interest in botanical reaches fever pitch

03-Apr-2020 By Hank Schultz

The Botanical Adulteration Prevention Program has issued a lab guidance document on turmeric. The publication is timely as interest in the botanical, which was already high, has spiked during the current coronavirus crisis.

From the editor's desk

Data supports notion that supplements are not at root of sports doping problem

31-Jan-2020 By Hank Schultz

Sports nutrition products continue to be a source of concern for regulators, but there are signs the situation is improving. And statistics back the notion that supplements are not the huge risk factor for athletes that they’re sometimes made out to...

Paucity of testing ensures olive oil adulteration continues to plague market, BAPP bulletin says

10-Jan-2020 By Hank Schultz

The Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program has released a bulletin on olive oil adulteration that shows that the issue, though widely acknowledged, continues to plague the market.

Guest article

CBD, climate crisis, sustainability: ABC takes a look at 2019 and beyond

20-Dec-2019 By Stefan Gafner and Mark Blumenthal, American Botanical Council

The news about CBD and hemp extracts dominated 2019, says the American Botanical Council. But issues surrounding the ongoing climate crisis, questions of sustainability, and the ongoing questions of adulteration were important topics as well.

FDA warns consumers about recalled products months after consent decree

17-Dec-2019 By Hank Schultz

A call from FDA to consumers to avoid products recalled as part of an enforcement action underscores how difficult it can be to get offending articles off the market.

Federal funding measure falls short on hemp/CBD, stakeholders say

17-Dec-2019 By Hank Schultz

An interim federal government funding measure does not include language creating a legal pathway for hemp/CBD products, despite advocacy on the part of stakeholders including lawmakers and trade organizations.

BAPP’s adulterated materials SOP nearing final form

04-Nov-2019 By Hank Schultz

The Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program is nearing the final stage of its initiative to offer industry a way to keep adulterated materials from turning up in finished goods on the shelf.

Consumer Reports says it found quality problems in echinacea, turmeric supplements

31-Oct-2019 By Hank Schultz

A Consumer Reports article detailing what it calls quality failures in turmeric and echinacea supplements has been assailed as being based on false assumptions and arbitrary parameters.

BAPP bulletin cites significant oregano adulteration

30-Oct-2019 By Hank Schultz

Oregano in the spice, supplement and fragrances trades is significantly adulterated with ‘filler’ materials, according to a new BAPP bulletin.

Latest doping violation puts spotlight on contaminated supplements in sports

14-Oct-2019 By Danielle Masterson

NFL player Brandon Copeland, who had been suspended over a failed drug test, said he plans to file a lawsuit against a company that he claims gave him "contaminated" supplements.

AOAC approves methods to ID, quantify cranberry constituents

14-Oct-2019 By Hank Schultz

AOAC recognition of two cranberry methods means there is finally consensus on how to identify and quantify the proanthocyanins (PACs) within the botanical, the test’s developer says.

Boswellia oleogum resin prone to adulteration, new bulletin outlines

11-Jul-2018 By Adi Menayang

The botanical Boswellia has been used for its anti-inflammatory properties for millennia, but it’s not uncommon to find some products today labeled as Boswellia to skimp on the amount of the botanical or to substitute in a less-researched form.

Use of aromatase inhibitor forms basis of warning letter

30-May-2018 By Hank Schultz

A recently posted warning letter cites a New York company for the presence of an aromatase inhibitor in one of its dietary supplements. This class of chemicals is popular with strength trainers for its purported ability to suppress estrogen levels.

Adulteration issues highlighted 2012, Blumenthal says

13-Dec-2012 By Hank Schultz

The year 2012 might not mark the end of the world.  But in future years as people look back, it might mark the beginning of the end for the adulteration of botanical materials, according to Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the American Botanical...