NEW YORK, New York — A new warning for people who take supplements: New York’s Attorney General said four major retailers have been selling fraudulent supplements and wants them removed from their shelves.
“This is an issue we have with supplements, often times you really don’t know what you’re going to get,” Dr. Mark Castellaw from Germantown said.
Castellaw said he wasn’t that surprised to hear four major retailers – Wal-Mart, Target, GNC, and Walgreens – are under fire after an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office.
The office sent the stores cease-and-desist letters after finding four out of the five store brand supplements they tested actually contained mostly fillers like powdered rice, asparagus, and houseplants, which can cause allergic reactions.
Some of the popular supplements included store brands of ginkgo biloba and ginseng.
At Walgreens, the store brand ginseng was found to have contained powdered garlic and rice. The store now says they’re pulling the faulty product nationwide.
Walgreens said in part in a statement to WREG, “We take these issues very seriously…We intend to cooperate and work with the Attorney General.”
“Whatever is happening there is more than likely happening here, too,”Dr. Castellaw said.
Supplements are not held to the FDA’s same strict guidelines as prescription medications.
However, New York’s Attorney General said in part, “substitution and falsely labeling herbal products constitute deceptive business practices and more importantly present considerable health risks for consumers.”
Dr. Castellaw said he agrees, adding if you’re going to take supplements, be a label reader, avoid buying off-brands, and always consult your doctor.
“Some are very valuable…fish oil and flax seed oil are very valuable to lower cholesterol and triglycerides, but it’s important to get the right kind your doctor recommends,” Dr. Castellaw said.
Target said they too plan to pull the supplements listed by the Attorney General.
A response from a spokesman read in part, “We take these claims seriously…We are partnering with our vendor to investigate the matters raised by the report and intend to cooperate fully with the Attorney General. While that investigation proceeds, Target will comply with the New York Attorney General’s request to pull these products, and will do so in all of our stores.”
Messages left for GNC and Wal-Mart have not been returned.