Herbal Stimulants “Should Carry Label Warnings”, say American Botanical Council

March 13, 2009: 09:22 PM EST

The American Botanical Council (ABC) says that some herbal products that contain stimulants such as caffeine should carry consumer warnings. ABC executive director Mark Blumenthal said that there is a case for requiring specific labeling for some herbal products, even though many are covered by systems such as America’s GRAS (generally recognized as safe) designation that sets safe levels for herbal ingredients used in food. A recent Australian report from an independent consumer group, CHOICE, said that some fortified juices containing herbal ingredients “had no additional nutritional benefits” and were potentially dangerous for some consumers, particularly pregnant women and people taking certain medicines. Blumenthal said that products containing cola or guarana should carry warnings, because many people were not aware they contained caffeine. Products marketed as “therapeutic” or “dietary supplement” should also carry label warnings, he said, particularly related to pregnancy and clinically documented information on drug interactions.

Neil Merrett, "Juice additive criticism stirs label concerns", Nutra Ingredients USA, March 13, 2009, © Decision News Media SAS

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