New York Orders Big Retailers To Stop Selling Phony Dietary Supplements

Four national retail chains were accused by the State of New York of selling “fraudulent and in many cases contaminated” dietary supplements. The state attorney general sent cease-and-desist orders to Walmart, Walgreens, Target and GNC including test results showing that supplements contained cheap fillers and hazardous substances, and often none of the labeled product. Five of six of GNC’s “Herbal Plus” supplements “were either unrecognizable or a substance other than what they claimed to be”. Three of six Target supplements (ginkgo biloba, St. John’s wort and valerian root) did not contain the advertised ingredient. Instead they contained powdered rice, beans, peas and wild carrots.