Schneiderman creates coalition for herbal supplement probe

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has formed a coalition with the attorneys general from Connecticut, Indiana and Puerto Rico to expand the investigation of herbal supplement manufacturers and their ingredient authenticity.

Schneiderman announced in February that his office had called on GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreens to stop selling products from certain supplement companies after finding some supplements’ ingredients did not match up with their labels.

The herbal supplements under examination by the attorney general”™s office were echinacea, ginseng and St. John”™s wort. As part of the investigation, Schneiderman’s office asked the retailers to provide his office with information regarding production, processing and testing of herbal supplements sold at their stores and to explain quality control measures in place.

Schneiderman said in a statement on March 3 that he looks forward to working with the other states and hopes the coalition can “go further in investigating this industry and, as needed, in achieving reform.”