This is a news release from the CSPI.
WASHINGTON - The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
today urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to halt the sale of
dozens of “functional foods” that contain ingredients not considered by the
agency to be safe.
In 158 pages of written complaints concerning more
than 75 products, CSPI also urged the FDA to order manufacturers to stop
making false and misleading claims about their products.
“Food companies are spiking fruit drinks, breakfast cereals, and snack
foods with illegal ingredients and then misleading consumers about their
health benefits,” stated Bruce Silverglade, CSPI director of legal affairs.
“It’s shameful that respected companies are selling modern-day snake oil.”
On display at a press conference in Washington, D.C., were dozens of
products targeted in CSPI’s complaints to the FDA. Those included:
- Snapple’s “Moon” Tea Drink containing kava kava. It claims to
“enlighten your senses.” Kava kava has been a factor in several
arrests for driving while intoxicated (DWI). Kava kava is also used
in Apple & Eve’s Tribal Tonics’ “Relaxation Cocktail” and
Hansen’s “d•stress” sparkling drink.
- Ben & Jerry’s “Tropic of Mango Smoothie” containing
echinacea. Echinacea can cause allergic reactions, including asthma
attacks, and may counteract the effects of drugs that suppress the
immune system.
- Arizona’s “Rx Memory Elixer” containing ginkgo biloba. This
product is labeled as “mind-enhancing.” Ginkgo biloba acts as a
blood thinner. Taking ginkgo biloba with anticoagulant drugs may
increase the risk of excessive bleeding or stroke.
- Procter & Gamble’s “spire Energy with VitaLift Green Tea
and Juice Beverage” containing guarana extract. The label
promises to provide “smooth, steady, sustained energy.” The FDA
has stated that guarana is not considered to be a safe ingredient for
use in food.
“Consumers are often deceived by false claims,” said Attorney General
of Connecticut Richard Blumenthal at the press conference. “They are not
told that many claims are not supported by valid scientific evidence. We
need more vigorous FDA enforcement of current laws on label claims. In
addition, I’m recommending that state attorneys general make functional
foods a top consumer-protection initiative,” he said.
“Herbs are medicines that don’t belong in soft drinks, breakfast cereals,
and snack chips,” said Varro Tyler, Ph.D., Sc.D., Distinguished Professor
Emeritus at Purdue University and an internationally recognized expert on
herbal medicine. “Companies that add herbs to foods to exploit consumer
interest in alternative medicine are acting irresponsibly,” he said at the
press conference.
The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) issued a report last week
that strongly criticized the FDA’s regulation of functional foods. The GAO
stated: “FDA’s efforts and federal laws provide limited assurances of the
safety of functional foods . . .”
The report concluded that while the extent
to which unsafe functional foods reach consumers is unknown, the FDA
should protect the public by halting misleading claims and requiring warning
labels where appropriate. The GAO report also concluded that Congress
should require companies to notify the FDA before using new “functional”
ingredients.
“The FDA knows that the substances added to these food products are
poorly tested at best or potentially harmful at worst and that the claims are
not scientifically proven,” said Ilene Ringel Heller, a CSPI staff attorney.
“By allowing deceptively labeled nostrums to remain on the market, the
FDA has failed to protect consumers.”
A complete list of products that CSPI has asked the FDA to prohibit
can be found at www.cspinet.org/reports/funcfoodcomplaint.htm.
