Recently the media has reported on alleged fraud in supplements sold at four large national stores after the products were tested by New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman. We would like to assure our customers that the products you buy at Evergreen Nutrition are high quality and truly identified. Also, since this kind of thing throws the entire supplement industry in a bad light, we think it is important for you to know more about it.

Inappropriate Methods Used
First of all, if there is fraud or mislabeling, it must be exposed and stopped. No argument there. However, the testing methods used to determine the validity of the products in question are inappropriate for testing herbal extracts since only specific constituents are extracted, not whole plant tissues. Also, DNA can be denatured by the extraction process making it an unreliable test of identity when it is present. When fillers, like rice powder, are added it is usually at the end of the process and they remain intact and therefore detectable.

But more importantly, DNA bar coding is not even a valid industry standard (in the U.S. or Europe) for testing botanical extracts and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) does not recommend its use. The internationally accepted analysis methods for botanical products include mass spectrometry, chromatography and titration, for example. It makes one wonder why Mr. Schneiderman chose DNA bar coding and ignored proven, reliable methods that yield valid results and why he won’t release the data in spite of requests to do so.

FDA Mandates Standards
While it’s true that supplements are not subject to the same extensive scrutiny as pharmaceuticals, there are FDA mandated, legally required standards in place. All manufacturers of dietary supplements must comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) that ensure the quality, identity and purity of their products, and to document the results of their testing. They are also subject to FDA inspection to assure compliance with cGMP and the FDA can use its authority to take steps to protect consumers if necessary.

Mostly Good Apples in the Barrel
In any business there may be a few unscrupulous dealers and the supplement industry is not immune from that. But most suppliers and manufacturers are acting in good faith, doing their best to provide high quality, effective products. Part of our job here at Evergreen Nutrition is to make sure that our customers have access to safe, high quality supplements and body care products from honest sources. Our vendors range from innovative industry leaders to small, local companies producing small batches by hand. Whatever the source, you can be confident that the products you buy at Evergreen are made with integrity.

Evergreen Brand
The company that manufactures our in-house brand, Vitamer, is a private-label-only company that does not manufacture products for any of the four companies tested by the New York Attorney General.

Meet Your Gaia Herbs
Gaia Herbs invites you to Meet Your Herbs. Simply go to their website and enter the ID# from the box of one of their products to see information on the primary function of that product as well as the purity test results.

Products Retested
We would be remiss if we did not mention that when GNC tested products from the same lots as the Attorney General’s tests, using the industry’s internationally accepted analytical methods, they found that they were in compliance with cGMP regulations.

Our knowledgeable staff is always available to serve you and help you choose products that are suited to your needs. Thank you for choosing to shop at Evergreen Nutrition – we will do our best to maintain your trust and good will.

From Evergreen’s Archive: February 2015

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