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NEW YORK (AP) — There's a deal between GNC and the office of New York's attorney general over the company's Herbal Plus products.
Last month, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent letters to GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreens. They were accused of selling store-brand herbal supplement products in New York that either couldn't be verified to contain the labeled substance or were found to contain ingredients not listed on the labels.
The attorney general's office had commissioned tests using DNA barcoding, to try to confirm the authenticity of popular supplements. Schneiderman said four out of five supplements that were tested showed no trace of the DNA of the herb on the label.
But industry groups and some consumer advocates criticized that method of testing. They said manufacturing processes can break down a plant's DNA while leaving intact its active chemical components.
Schneiderman acknowledges in a statement today that the government doesn't require the use of DNA-based technologies to authenticate herbal supplements.
The company says its agreement affirms that the products are in full compliance with the FDA's requirements. It says it provided the attorney general with results of internal tests and those conducted by third parties.
%@AP Links
199-a-15-(New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, at news conference)-"in this area"-New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says the real problem is that the federal government has no power to regulate the supplement industry. (30 Mar 2015)
<<CUT *199 (03/30/15)££ 00:15 "in this area"
198-a-10-(New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, at news conference)-"on the label"-New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says it's not hard to test what's in a bottle sold as an herbal supplement. (30 Mar 2015)
<<CUT *198 (03/30/15)££ 00:10 "on the label"
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